As Americans, we often underestimate the privilege of a simple phone call. But for two young-adult siblings, Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, that privilege was heard loud and clear.

Started in 2004 with $21 of their own money, their 501(c)3 non-profit organization, “Cell Phones for Soldiers,” has since expanded to raise almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

“We’re asking Americans to make a small contribution of support by donating their unused cell phones, providing families with a much-needed connection to their loved ones overseas,” says Brittany Bergquist, Cell Phones for Soldiers co-founder.

Now, Cell Phones for Soldiers and Pak Mail Centers around the country are calling on all Americans to support the 150,000 brave men and women serving overseas by donating their unused cell phones. Cell Phones for Soldiers recycles the phones and the proceeds are used to buy prepaid calling cards sent to soldiers to help keep troops connected with their families. The goal is to collect 50,000 cell phones through partnerships with companies like Pak Mail with multiple drop-off locations.

Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones and prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.

The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad. Approximately half of the phones ReCellular processes are reconditioned and resold to wholesale companies in over 40 countries around the world.

Phones and components that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and recycled to reclaim materials like gold, silver and copper wiring.

There are more than 400 Pak Mail Centers around the country serving as drop-off points for Cell Phones for Soldiers. For additional information regarding the Cell Phones for Soldiers program, please visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com.