According to an August 2008 press release, Robert Wells, Ph.D., a livestock consultant with the Noble Foundation in Ardmore Oklahoma, became an official Cell Phones for Soldiers drop-off point. Amazingly, in just under 3 months, this drop-off point has accumulated over 160 donated cell phones.

I’m guessing that many of you reading this article are already wondering what the exact benefit of a donated cell phone is?

Each of the phones is worth one hour of international talk time for soldiers serving in Iraq & Afghanistan.

Value To the Soldier Stationed Overseas:

An hour of free talk time is worth so much more than just an hour of talk time. This “gift of voice” gives a soldier a true boost of morale. Hence, these calls are often referred to as Morale Calls.

To the Soldier’s Family at Home:

An hour of free talk time helps the family save a lot of money for other essentials. Sad but true… some traditional long distance carriers are charging over 40¢/min for international calls made to Iraq & Afghanistan. And if you direct-dial to/from the USA via a cell phone, you could be looking at $1/min or more.

Case In Point:

This summer, Danielle Wells (Tom’s wife, who serves in Iraq with the 1120^th Ordinance Company) received 15 days of leave, so she returned to Oklahoma. During her 20-hour return trip to the Middle East, Wells’ group stopped in Europe to refuel. She placed a quick call to her husband. Their 11-minute conversation cost the couple almost $75.

So for those of you living in and around this drop-point, grab your cell phone and donate it. Our troops will appreciate it!

Read the full article here: http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=8804622

About Samuel Roberts:

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (http://www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is an independent, nonprofit institute conducting plant science research and agricultural programs to enhance agricultural productivity, which influences agriculture regionally, nationally and internationally. The Noble Foundation also provides grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.

August 8th, 2008 Subscribe to the RSS feed!