Old phones sought to benefit soldiers

As Memorial Day approaches, Utahns are being asked to donate old cell phones to benefit soldiers.

Created in 2004, Cell Phones for Soldiers, a nonprofit organization based in Norwell, Mass., is accepting donations of old and unused mobile devices for cash, with the proceeds used to buy prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops.

In Utah, phones can be donated at any of five University of Phoenix campus locations year-round.

Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to raise enough money to purchase more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards, a news release states.

To date, the organization has raised nearly $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers overseas, according to its website.

All donated phones are sent to a reprocessing facility that pays enough for each phone to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad, the release said.

For more information, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.