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If you read last week’s Gig Line, you might remember that I mentioned two incredible special “somethings” that I wanted to share with you. At this writing, I can share one of the two and perhaps the second very soon.

Folks nowadays discard, upgrade or toss in the dresser drawer cell phones that don’t always compete with the newer models. It seems the cameras in particular improve from model to model with the ability to capture really beautiful pictures and videos of family and loved ones that are true “keepers.”

But recently I came across an opportunity to do something wonderful with my old cell phones and I wanted to share the information with you in the event you have 1-2-3-4 or more cell phones you no longer use. If you search cellphonesforsoldiers.com you will see that this non-profit group collects donated old, used and even broken cell phones then recycles and refurbishes the phones and makes them or proceeds from the resale of them to provide our soldiers with a cell phone they can contact their family and loved ones with.

The group originally only purchased cell phone cards rather than the phones themselves, however, they came to realize the soldiers (while grateful) were more interested in the cell phone itself. A representative of the organization told me very recently that they are currently restructuring their focus now to do just that – provide soldiers with the cell phones rather than the card and they were very excited about it.

Their website is very detailed and, of course, it addresses the removal of data and personal info currently saved on the phones. Please go online; carefully review the entire presentation; call them directly if you wish as a number to their office is provided and if you feel comfortable in securing your personal data and decide to donate your old, used and even broken phones, there is now a convenient option to do so.

The first of the cell phone donation boxes will be located in the lobby of the Dare County Administrative Building, located at 954 Marshall C. Collins Dr. in Manteo. The building is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The boxes clearly indicate their purpose and once the box is full, it will be shipped to the group and replaced for another empty one to fill up again.

I encourage everyone who may participate in donating their old phones for our soldiers to please take the time to clear out all information currently stored in the device or have someone you trust who is tech savvy to wipe it clean before it is left in the box for shipment. The representative I spoke with was extremely nice and she said they have personnel whose sole purpose is to do just that – rid the phones of personal saves, however, I have two phones at least that I can donate but before I do so, I will have a professional clear out any of my saved data.

The location of this first box is a courtesy because Dare County is a very pro-soldier and pro-veteran county. We love all of our active duty and veterans across our state and nation and we actively seek ways in which to help them.

If you would like to donate your old phones but no longer drive or have transportation to bring them to the Administrative Building (the middle building in the Dare County complex across the highway from CVS in Manteo) or other sites for deposit I might list at a later time, please let me know and I will do my best to get them picked up at your convenience.

Again, review their website and if you still have questions, I encourage you to call them directly. I nor anyone else here locally has responsibility in connection with the cell phone drive except to help facilitate donation sites to collect the devices. I’m very excited about this chance to do something special for our soldiers, to help them connect with the people they are the closest to and miss while serving our country.

Please do not hesitate to contact or call me about this topic or anything I discuss in Gig Line. My cell number is 252-202-2058 and my email address is giglineheroes@aol.com. Veterans (like my sweetie pie Billy who passed on to the gates of Heaven 2016) and all of you who have served are heroes and I thank God for you all every day.

If you have a question about a potential medical claim, acquiring a copy of your DD-214 or other V.A. related questions, please call our outstanding Veteran Service Officer Patty O’Sullivan. Patty is a true professional and very dedicated to the men and women who have served our great nation. Her office number is 252-475-5604 and her email address is dcvac@darenc.com.

Until next time, be healthy, safe and happy! Thank you for reading Gig Line and please know for sure that this ole girl loves each and every one of you! God bless you and your family and expecting some more big news about the second “something special” in future columns! Stay tuned!

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