Memorial Day weekend brings with it a new local effort for soldiers stationed overseas.

Beginning Tuesday, Utah's five University of Phoenix campuses will become ongoing drop-off donation centers for the Cell Phones for Soldiers program. Anyone can drop off old or unused cell phones at campuses along the Wasatch Front and in St. George. The program will recycle the phones for cash, and the proceeds are used to buy prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops.

"These cards are a lifeline of emotional support to families and their deployed soldiers. They don't need the added stress of long-distance phone bills," said Darris Howe, director of Phoenix's Utah campuses.

The program, he said, began with two Maine-based teenagers and $21 of their own money and has grown to the distribution of more than 500,000 calling cards, worth more than $2 million, to soldiers serving the country overseas. The selfless cause of the registered nonprofit organization motivated Howe to set up donation centers and donate at least one of his own or family member's phones.

Collected phones will be sent to ReCellular, which pays the organization for each phone — enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. Approximately half of the phones the company processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in more than 40 countries around the world. Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials, including precious metals from circuit boards, copper wiring from phone chargers, nickel, iron and cadmium from lead battery packs and plastic from phone cases and various accessories.

The group hopes to raise enough money to purchase more than 12 million minutes of talk time.

Donations can be made during business hours at any campus, which all boast easy access from I-15.

E-MAIL: wleonard@desnews.com