Mobile Stories
Cell Phones for Soldiers
Brittany & Robbie Bergquiest
Brittany and Robbie Bergquiest were thirteen and twelve years old when they founded Cell Phones for Soldiers, with the $21 dollars they had in their piggy banks.
The brother and sister had been touched by a news story about a soldier who was struggling to pay his cell phone bill in Iraq.
“Why should he have to worry about paying a cell phone bill when he really should be worried about keeping himself safe?” the thirteen-year-old girl asked at the time.
Brittany and Robbie started collecting and selling old cell phones, the profits from which they would use to buy calling cards for soldiers overseas. Between March of 2007 and January of 2008, the two children received 1.4 million cell phones, purchased 450,000 phone cards and provided soldiers with 27 million minutes of talk time.
Staff Sergeant Chris Nicholas wrote to thank the two teenagers:
“Most teens your ages are just worried about hanging out at the mall, riding around with friends or playing sports (at least I was!). Instead you two decided to take your personal time and help the men and women in the military. I have been to Iraq and I am going back in a few months, so I know how expensive it is to call home. The impact that you two are making for soldiers is more than you can imagine.”
