The VetsConnection Podcast
Join host Scott McLean, a veteran and also a passionate advocate for veterans' well-being. Each week Scott will bring you an episode that will feature insightful conversations with representatives from non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting veterans, as well as experts discussing programs within the Veterans Affairs (V.A.) aimed at assisting veterans with their needs. From discussing innovative therapies to highlighting community resources, this podcast sheds light on the myriad of ways veterans can find support and healing thru nonprofit organizations and also to connect nonprofits with each other in hopes of creating a network that will be beneficial to all.
The VetsConnection Podcast
Ep. 32 - Cell Phones for Soldiers: Transforming E-Waste into Support for Veterans
Can you imagine launching a nonprofit at just 12 years old? That's exactly what Rob Bergquist did, and today, he's the driving force behind Cell Phones for Soldiers, a remarkable initiative that has turned old cell phones into a lifeline for troops overseas. Teaming up with Andrew Kroeger from the advisory board, we explore how this organization has provided over 400 million minutes of airtime by recycling more than 25 million cell phones. We also navigate the early hurdles they faced, including a cease-and-desist order from the Department of Defense, and how they ingeniously pivoted to create a sustainable solution for connectivity and environmental impact.
The broader landscape of electronic waste and its potential to change lives is a topic worth pondering. Transitioning from a tech-oriented career, I've co-founded a company focusing on the digital divide and veterans' issues, working closely with Robbie's organization. During our conversation, we tackle how e-waste can be transformed into essential resources for veterans, offering them not just devices but hope and opportunities. Robbie's passion for collecting T-Mobile sidekicks is more than a quirky hobby—it's a testament to the evolving nature of phone donations and the pressing need for quality devices.
Exciting developments are on the horizon as Cell Phones for Soldiers plans to roll out a mobile app tailored for veterans. This app is envisioned to provide not just a phone and service but also a gateway to crucial resources like free meals, job opportunities, and mental health support. We underscore the power of storytelling and community outreach, inviting listeners to contribute to this noble cause and support veterans in need of connectivity. Tune in for an inspiring narrative about transformation, sustainability, and the profound impact of giving back.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Scott McLean. My guests today are Rob Bergquist, founder and executive director of Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Andrew Krager. He's on the advisory board for Cell Phones for Soldiers. Now, if you didn't know, cell Phones for Soldiers is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services and emergency funding to active-d duty military members and veterans. Now, the amazing thing about this organization is, since it was founded in 2004, cell Phones for Soldiers has provided more than 400 million minutes of airtime to service men and women deployed around the world by recycling more than 25 million cell phones, reducing the impact of landfills. That's, I'm gonna get right into it. Okay, this was founded in 2004. And for the audience, I'm gonna ask Rob Rob, how old are you?
Rob:I am 32 years old, so I founded the charity back when I was I was just 12.
Scott:Do the math. People like that's. This is why I waited so long to do this interview. We've had some delays along the way, but 12 years old, you're like a prodigy. You're a nonprofit prodigy to the story.
Rob:I was getting ready for middle school and my parents always put you know, the tv on. Grew up in massachusetts, just south of boston, in norwell, and my parents always put on channel 5, wcvb, and there was a story of a soldier in natick, massachusetts, and he had been calling home to his family. He brought his cell phone over overseas in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He was in Afghanistan and he was calling home, just trying to check in with the family, pass his phone around to some buddies so that they could call home, and they rung up an $8,000 cell phone bill. He was connecting to the local landlines over there and from the local landline back to home there was extreme roaming charges, and so I had two cousins who were actively deployed in 2004. One was in Iraq, one was in Afghanistan, and we heard this story of this young soldier in the army that he was just trying to call home and $8,000 later.
Rob:We just knew we had to do something. So we went to school that morning, we talked to our friends, we got a bunch of lunch money and we had $21 from our piggy bank and the lunch money to contribute and put towards this $8,000 cell phone bill. And from there we knew we had to do some more work. And, um, from there we we knew we had to do some more work. So my parents, you know, got on board and helped their kids. You know, we weren't playing video games, we were solving this really unique issue that was facing active duty service members. And we, our story, got covered by national media, you know, all over the place, and with this national media recognition came a lot of donations towards our effort. But also a lot of service members that were saying, hey, I have a $15,000 cell phone bill calling home. And so my sister and I and my parents, we decided to create a nonprofit that was called Cell Phones for Soldiers, because we were helping soldiers with their cell phone bills and people associated that name with donating their cell phones. And so we were like, okay, we will send these cell phones over and we'll, you know, connect the active duty service members to home with these cell phones.
Rob:So we went on to CNN and we announced this new initiative and before we left the studio, my father got a call from the Department of Defense. A general at the Department of Defense called and said that their kids, his kids, had to cease and desist cease and desist their operation that it was a national security hazard. If you call from these cell phones because of the insecurity of a wireless call overseas, their position could be triangulated. So it was national security. We had to stop our operation and we were like okay, um, my dad thought it was a brother-in-law that was calling him and ribbing him about. You know the story. But the general confirmed uh, he was actually working for the department of defense and we needed to cease and desist.
Rob:So we did and we were like what are we going to do with all these cell phones? Well, we decided that we would recycle the phones in order to generate revenue to purchase prepaid calling cards which we would then send overseas to active service members. So that's what we did and you know, like you said, we've recycled over 20 million cell phones. We have sent over 8 million prepaid calling cards to active duty service members so that they can connect with 400 million minutes worth of talk time. And they were using these cards. We have Thanksgiving, that's coming right up.
Rob:Our calling cards were used to sit at the dinner table and talk to the family at Thanksgiving. They were used to open up Christmas presents. At Christmas, they were used to hear their child's first words while on employment. They were heard. You know Gold Star mothers reached out and said hey, you know, this was the last time that I spoke to my son or daughter. Thank you so much for providing this service. So the impact it had on connecting active duty service members to their families, you know that's really what Cell Phones for Soldiers is all about. And the way we generate revenue is really pretty unique as well, with, you know, taking cell phones and repurposing them or reselling them to generate the revenue. We're not asking people for necessarily dollars out of their pocket. We're asking for, oftentimes, something that they do not require anymore, which is their old cell phone, and we can recycle that responsibly, help the world, at the same time generating revenue for this really unique mission that helps a lot of people stay connected.
Andrew:Yeah, robbie, and actually just to add on to that. So, scott, you and I have talked a little bit about it and I'll go back and actually share how I got connected with Robbie. Because, first off, what you shared there and what Robbie shared there is really a recipe for success for any business or any nonprofit, right? Robbie, as a 12-year-old, wasn't like, hey, I'm going to create a nonprofit. It's that heartfelt mission that they saw with a news story that organically grew into a very successful nonprofit that is trying to reach veterans, something that all tugs at our heartstrings, right? And one of the things that he just talked about there. And we'll get into some of the iterations that he talked about as to where cell phones for soldiers is today, impact being a huge word, but you know, the average household in the US has three mobile phones that are just lying around for any different number of reasons, whether it's data security, they just haven't gotten around to it. But there tends to be a distrust with actually trading those in or providing those to the secondary market.
Andrew:And just from my background as advisory board member, I got introduced into the circular economy almost 10 years ago. Previously I've been in data centers, cybersecurity. I love putting all this huge, massive equipment with cool blinking lights and data centers. I thought it looked awesome. But here in the States quite often we're gluttonous consumers. We want more. We don't think about the implications of that those electronics after their initial use because it's out of sight, out of mind. Third world countries. The rest of the world does have to deal with e-waste and we won't necessarily get into all those different ramifications, but it is profound.
Andrew:Ultimately, when I got recruited into this space, I knew nothing about it. It sounded incredibly boring, but once I actually got into it I was fascinated by it. So I've now co-founded a company in the space that deals with circularity. But more importantly in doing that, once you start to unpack some of the layers in this industry, you start to understand what's going on behind the scenes and the implications. And as part of that, I started working with all the top carriers in the US, across the globe all the primary insurance companies, the people that are handling mobile device circularity typically hundreds of thousands to even millions of assets annually and how they produce them so they can go back into the secondary economy. And right now that entire system is a little bit antiquated. So one we're not doing a good job of educating the world that there is a second life to be had for mobile phones and actually what that downstream looks like. But it is really just a profit model in the sense of, hey, if you trade that in, I can make money off of it.
Andrew:A lot of people don't think about those other narratives, right? The environmental impact and, in this particular case, the social impact, right. So there is a thing called the digital divide. That's one thing, but when you talk about veterans that are in need, the ability to actually repurpose those with integrity and help stand them up is huge. So, for me, when I got in this space, I saw Rob Robbie and started to understand a little bit more about what their mission was and became fascinated with it. Fascinated with it.
Andrew:So I'm so excited to be actually be a part of this, to help evangelize on their behalf, because all of us have veterans, right, that we can connect with, that. We understand that impact and the difficulties that they have when they come back, you know, to the States or wherever they go in terms of. We know there's a large number of them homeless, right? Or there's a large number of them that are facing PTSD, and it's really created a lot of trials and tribulations for them as they try to reintroduce themselves in society. And while we are super proud for them as a nation and what they're doing over there, we all know that sometimes when they come home they are lost in the system.
Andrew:And when I saw Robbie connecting the dots there to passionately reach out and say let's solve some problems for these guys, let's give them hope.
Andrew:That is their mission right Hope for the veterans, hope for their families and hopefully, hope for our society. And that's why I'm so excited to be part of this and leverage what I do in this space to help bring awareness to the mission and hopefully bring some of these assets to Robbie and his team so they can actually take them back out to the world and help those who need it. So, again, just trying to tie in a little bit there and you know I love what Robbie and them did and again that has iterated, you know, through the years we talked about the initial thing security, risk that's much in the circular economy as well To, ultimately, how do they connect veterans to where they are today. So you know it hasn't been static. They've always been dynamically looking at the needs of the veterans, and the charity has grown and evolved to where it is today to actually provide a higher level of service, and we'll let Robbie even talk a little bit more about that.
Scott:So that was actually one of my next questions is so, Robbie, you've seen, you've firsthand, the evolution of cell phone technology from I don't know the Razr back in 2004, which was, I loved, my gold Razr. I'll tell you that that was one of the greatest phones I ever had. Right All the way to now, I mean, I thought that was a smartphone. That was a smartphone back then, right.
Andrew:I was just doing the math. With robbie being 32, you know he came out with the iphone.
Rob:He came, yeah okay no no, so I mean one of the reasons. Uh. So we, we get all different kinds of donations still to this day. Uh, we accept the good, the bad and the ugly. So it's the smartphones as well. As you know, we, we get bag phones, um so phones that you used to have to zip open the bag and make a call from. So we still get, um every make model condition of phone.
Rob:But one of the phones that I pulled to the side because we would scrap it anyways, and it's really I'm not stealing from the charity, this is an older phone but it's a sidekick, it's a T-Mobile sidekick and I keep those and I put them to the side because back when I was in high school, we had the sidekicks and I had a math teacher and he said I'll give extra credit to whoever can get the most numbers. I went to an all boys school. He was like you know, whoever can get the most girls phone numbers I will give extra credit to. So I had a sidekick and I got the most girls numbers and I was like you know what, I'm going to get a collection. Anytime somebody donates a sidekick, I'm going to pull it aside. So I have about 20 sidekicks that I keep.
Rob:That's like my phone, but um no, I mean, we have seen, uh, we used to get a lot more donations of phones, but lower quality is kind of what I would describe as of like from 2004 to about 2010,. Our volume of donations was more because people were spending less on their phones. Phones used to cost 50 bucks, you know, or a hundred bucks Now they're $1,000 to get the latest and greatest. So it's more of an investment for the general public to purchase devices, and so we see that and we feel that at the charity. So typically what's being donated is what we like to call like n minus four and minus five. So if n is an iphone 16, then it's five generations from whatever the the latest and greatest is. So we get a lot of donations of like iphone 8s, iphone x's, you know, samsung on the same side, the s7s or the s8s, and so that's kind of like what we see.
Rob:But we have really we've seen the evolution of technology over the past 20 years, and on the donation side, but then also on the mission side. I mean, we've been around for 20 years. So you know, over the past five years we've really seen our calling card requests go down and that's because, you know, there's less men and women that are in areas that require these calling cards or, you know, they have access to more affordable communication. So Wi-Fi capabilities I mean we're doing a podcast right now over Wi-Fi you have Zoom meetings, you have Teams meetings, and so the infrastructure has just matured and evolved to where calling around the world and across the oceans has become a lot more affordable. So our calling cards were being requested less and it was almost like mission accomplished for cell phones for soldiers, like we did as much good as we could while that that problem was facing our active duty service members. Again, you know, over 8 million prepaid calling cards, over 400 million minutes worth of talk time when it was needed the most, when it was costing, you know, $15,000 for a couple hours of talk time, so just insanity.
Rob:And we did what we could. But we were kind of like what can cell phones for soldiers do now? And we heard from so many veterans that were coming back and saying, hey, I got your calling cards when I was overseas. Are you doing anything now that we're home? And for the longest time we said, hey, we can send you some calling cards and they were like, well, no, we don't really need calling cards here in America and we decided that we would create a mobile program for veterans, low income and homeless veterans.
Rob:And so what cell phones for soldiers has the capability to do now is not just recycle cell phones that are donated to generate revenue to buy calling cards. We're now able to take donated cell phones and repurpose them into the hands of low-income and homeless veterans. So we take donations from corporations, we take donations from individuals and we now use those phones to put in the hands of the most at-risk veterans that are currently experiencing a digital divide, that are currently disconnected from the resources that they require to live a normal, healthy life, to get connected with job opportunities, to get connected with the VA. So many of the veteran service officers or caseworkers that we work with will say hey, you know, when a veteran walks out my door, I never hear from them again. One of our biggest challenges is disconnect from the veterans that they're trying to serve. So not only do veterans need this, but caseworkers that are supporting the veteran community need cell phones for soldiers mobile. And you know we only have and I say only, but it's still. I'm still really proud of this we have about a thousand veterans that are currently using the cell phones for soldiers mobile service. They've been provided a cell phone, they've been provided free phone service for one year of unlimited talk and text and five gigs of data, and our goal is to connect 30,000 veterans over the next three years and I think we can absolutely get there on the needs basis. I mean, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of veterans that require some sort of program like this.
Rob:But on my side of what my job is is to encourage and to motivate corporations and individuals to take a look at excess inventory that they might have on their shelves. If you're a corporation or as an individual, looking into your junk drawers or wherever you keep your old phones, or when you get an updated phone, what are you doing with your old one? It's my job to encourage people to think of cell phones for soldiers. Like Andrew said, you know we are a player in the circular economy. As a nonprofit, people can donate the market value of their device. So if they have an iPhone 15 they want to donate. They can write off $1,000 on their taxes and they can donate that phone to Cell Phones for Soldiers. Now, we're not going to put an iPhone 15 in the hands of a low-income or homeless veteran, we will sell that phone to go and buy five or six iPhone 8s. So then we can distribute iPhone 8s, which is a perfectly good device, especially to a veteran that didn't have a device previously.
Rob:The device requirements that we have for the program is that there's a forward-facing camera so that if they need to do FaceTime or if they need to do a medical appointment, a telehealth appointment with their VA caseworker or whoever it may be, they can do that on the device.
Rob:They have the ability to take a picture of any documents. If that's their DD 214 or whatever documents they need to send, they'll have that capability with the phone. I mean for so many reasons, cell phones for soldiers has to succeed, not just for the veteran community. I mean any marginalized community can benefit from a program like this that repurposes devices. You know battered women and you know uh in sex trafficking. I mean there's so, so many communities where cell phones if you don't have one in society, you're falling behind, you're, you're falling into the digital divide and you are immediately at a disadvantage of uh, for, for all the reasons that we enjoy communication. So, um, you know we're, we're really excited for where Cell Phones for Soldiers can go. We've been around for 20 years, but this has the runway to be around for another 20 years.
Scott:At least this isn't going away.
Scott:Yeah, I just don't see an end to that. I mean I think it's always going to be something because we're always going to have veterans, and I think it's always going to be something because we're always going to have veterans, always going to have family members of veterans. I mean I think you have you know more than I do. You've been doing it for 20 years. I've been in it for three years, but you see how it can grow in so many different directions. Done the right way, it's just an amazing program.
Rob:It really is when we're heading to is. You know, and, andrew, sorry I was cutting you off there, but I know we're going to be developing a Cell Phones for Soldiers mobile application and on the application, so every veteran will receive a device, they'll receive one year phone service and they will have pre-downloaded the cell phones for soldiers mobile app. That application will have resources on on there, um, so the veteran can click on that application. They can see that you know, two tenths of a mile down the road, uh, they're giving out free lunches to veterans. You know, two miles down the road there's a company that's looking to hire veterans. So they'll have, you know, food, they'll have employment opportunities, they'll be able to find other military nonprofits that have resources available to them that they might just not know about. But all of that will be onto the application. So now we're not just providing a cell phone and phone service, now we're truly providing all of the resources that they need. Right there We've done the lifting for them. All they got to do is click on that application.
Scott:Build right into the phone.
Rob:Yep, yep, just click on the phone, click on the application. You know we will have the ability to send you know positive words of affirmation. You know, if they need that, we'll be able to send you know. We'll have preloaded on there the suicide prevention, all that information. You know that there's commercials that are on on TVs and the veterans that are having the most difficult time that might be in that position, they're not in front of a TV, they're out in the streets, they're out in the woods. Those veterans are the ones that are the most at risk, that need a cell phone. They need, they need that number in the palm of their hands. They don't need it on the couch, they need it in the palm of their hands wherever they are. And so that's what Cell Phones for Soldiers looks to do is not just, you know, meet the soldier or the veteran where they are. We want to find them, you know, deep in the woods or on the streets and in the most you know of rural areas, wherever they are.
Andrew:That's where this program needs to go. Yeah, so I'm glad we've got there and that's one of the things I want to talk about is the evolution of the program. Right, and I'm glad that we spoke that it's not just a cell phone, it's an entire program that goes along with it and constantly taking the pulse of the veteran community and those who love them to understand what they need and how we can actually be better and we absolutely can get to servicing 30,000 veterans. And just so you know, when it comes to the circular economy, you know those phones, as I mentioned, on average the American household has three old phones laying around. A lot of them don't realize that there's true value in those. And, kind of to Robbie's point here, we don't want the latest and the greatest, right. So M-4, m-5 is huge for us and what people that trade in those cell phones can have confidence in is that that cell phone is actually data cleared, you know, with compliance, audit, controls and everything, so it can actually be repurposed safely out to that veteran community, which is why they're going for that N-4, n-5.
Andrew:And the other thing that I love to share is what their tagline is. It's not a handout, it's a hand up. So the goal is these veterans. We understand some of the difficult life situations they may be in and we want to prop them up with these cell phones, to get them into a better position, a better life, and ultimately, that's what the mission of this charity is is to help them get on their feet again and get a better life, and a lot of it isn't just the access to this inventory that we're talking about, but really it is a full onslaught of education.
Andrew:So the community outreach that Robbie and them are doing, as you mentioned they're not going to be behind a TV and say, oh, cell phones for soldiers the engagement that they have in trying to go out with all the different officers and people that know where the veterans are that need this type of help that is a big portion of this charity. It's how do we reach those veterans so we can know that this service is available to them, and that's one of the reasons of this podcast, right is your listeners are going to be saying, hey, we know veterans that are struggling and a service like this can support them. So our opportunity here is to be a megaphone to all of them to say that this exists and you can reach out to us and there will be an opportunity for us to work with you. So, robbie, do you want to add to that? Go ahead, scott.
Scott:Yeah. So I just wanted to touch on something that you mentioned, robbie, and it kind of goes right to the base of what you were saying. A friend of mine he's on my board of directors now Marine veteran, war veteran came home, beautiful house, beautiful wife, couldn't take it. Hit the streets for five years hit the streets and I've had. His story is one of the. His name is John Schray. He's one of the interviews that I did when I first started this podcast.
Scott:It's a very interesting thing he said during that and it's about the cell phone and they would look for a place to charge it. Like okay, he had ulterior motives on one side of why he needed that cell phone to be charged, but on the other side I heard him, I was in a conversation with somebody and we were at an outreach or something and they said, oh yeah, in Palm Beach County there's places where veterans, homeless veterans, can go take showers and they're located throughout the city. And he was like what? Like I didn't, I didn't ever knew that thing existed. If he had that phone and that app that gave that location, regardless of whether you're a drug addict or an alcoholic and you're homeless, they were looking for places like that, and if that phone from Cell Phones for Soldiers with that app, then they'll, and that could change everything for them. They meet somebody there. There's a butterfly effect that goes with that, you know.
Rob:I mean you start talking about a cell phone that has the capability to connect. There's over 40,000 military nonprofits, both veterans and active service members, 40,000 in America. There's a 501c3. So if we can connect all of those and know organizations that kind of try to consolidate and get you, you know, specific information. But do they have it on their phone? Do they have their geolocation? We just haven't been able to find one that does a great job of finding based off your location.
Rob:Cause these veterans, you know if they're homeless or they don't have access to a vehicle, they need to know what's within walking distance to them. They need to know what they can truly get to by public transit and so you know the opportunities for the application. And connecting veterans to what they need when they need it is is truly impactful and the golden key. Yeah, yeah. So we're really excited. I mean, that's kind of like phase three of where right now, we're just trying to kind of we launched this about a year ago, so we're still kind of like in the early phases of understanding how much it's going to cost the charity, how much fundraising we need to do in order to reach that 30,000 number to do. But you know if we can again start connecting those dots on the donation side from corporations that have this end of life or in you know, slow moving inventory and they can just donate in in massive quantities and then the charity can liquidate that and generate the revenue to to subsidize the service. I mean, the business model is there, we just have to execute on it. So, um, we're really excited for the opportunity to be able to do that.
Rob:And then you know, kind of going back to real quickly, what Andrew was talking about with the hand up, not a handout, you know that's why we're not providing the iPhone 15s. We don't, we don't want the veteran to say, hey, this is an awesome service, man, I got an iPhone 15. What do I? What do I got to do, and I don't really have to do anything. No, we want to give them just enough so that they can be successful in in, you know, getting back on their feet.
Rob:This is, this is not a um, you know you get a cell phone and you can just lay back. You know we are going to encourage that veteran with, you know, communication. Uh, and we want to hear the success stories. We want veterans to tell us that they got a job from this program. We do not want to see that they're using the phone for phone calls and text messages but they're not actually getting any traction with what the program is aimed to do and that's why it's 12 months.
Rob:We'll help you for a year, but we expect you and we hope that you can graduate from this program and then start paying for a Cell Ph for soldiers mobile prepaid plan where a portion of the revenue from the paid plans from veterans that graduate from this can go back to support veterans that are just entering the program and then you start creating a real community. That's when you start creating something that you know veterans can get behind, that can afford. You know for this service and you know what veteran wouldn't want to get involved where they know that a portion of their phone bill they're getting the same exact service is going to go back to help out veterans that need a handout.
Andrew:If you knew that, yeah go ahead, Andrew. I was just saying maybe now is a good time to talk about the integrity of the charity right and what your status is, because we all know that there are charities out there that— I love the transparency.
Scott:I'm sorry to interrupt. I don't usually do that, but this is what people want to hear this absolute transparency of what you're doing and, yeah, we're not giving you this, and this is why we're giving you this, and there's no like hidden agenda, there's no ulterior motive, it's all. I love that that this is all right up front. That's great. I'm sorry, yeah, and that's what nonprofits are.
Rob:I mean, nonprofits are social programs that you know they're. They're companies that you know. I don't own this company. I started it 20 years ago.
Rob:But this is this is, you know, for the betterment of of this you know group of people that I said I was set out to help, and it requires donations from the general public and they should have complete access into what is happening at Cell Phones for Soldiers at all times. So transparency is massively important and going to the integrity of the charity, cell Phones for Soldiers is a four-star charity on Charity Navigator, 80% or more of every cell phone that is donated, every dollar that is generated, goes to supporting the community that we serve, and it's higher than 80% and we're always striving to get that number even closer to 100%. There are obviously costs that go into running the nonprofit, but we strive to be one of the most. But we, we strive to be one of the the the most, um, you know where, where most of the money is going to the mission. So, um, we, we really strive for that and, um, we've done a really good job at that over the years. So, um, you know, we're really excited to continue to, to make that number even better.
Scott:Yep, andrew, we both cut you off.
Andrew:No, no, I think we've. I think we've summed it up. I think that's the whole point, though right is we know of different charities that people have had a heartfelt connection to right, and then there's a letdown in the future, potentially, when those charities are found to be kind of using it for internal purposes instead of the actual mission, kind of using it for internal purposes instead of the actual mission. So that's one of the things that's connected me very closely with Robbie and this charity is knowing that that money is going where it's intended for and to truly support the cause. So it's nice when you have that continuity.
Scott:So national locations? How would a veteran reach out? How would they say I'm in South Florida and I want to get in touch with cell phones for soldiers? How would that work?
Rob:So the best way is to go to our website. So on our website there's a form that they can fill out. They can put in all their contact information, they can let us know kind of some background on what their situation is. And it is a needs-based program. So we do currently have a waiting list and trying to, you know, sign up as many veterans as we can, but obviously don't want to burn through all of our reserve funds before the program even gets off the ground.
Rob:But we are the veteran should go to our website, work with a caseworker and just fill out that program and we can get back involved with them, back in touch with them. But I would say the website is number one. And then you know, on the donation side we have drop off locations all across the country where people can drop off their phones. Again, that's through our website. They would plug in their zip code and they can find a place to drop off, but for the veteran would be through the web. You know, just the website is really our home base. It's how we capture the most donors and the most veterans that require this service. But we are operating in all 50 states for the phone service.
Scott:So do you collaborate with other nonprofits around the country? Say, for example, okay, I have my nonprofit One man, one Mic Foundation and I also have this podcast where I get in touch with, I'm in touch with a lot of nonprofits in South Florida and Now, seeing that you guys kind of do what I would call a standalone service in a sense, so do you reach out to other nonprofits and say, hey, just for your people, just so you know, hey, scott, one man, one mic. When you come across veterans which I do and in this podcast that might be on hard times or just doing outreach and seeing them in hard times, or just doing outreach and seeing them, hey, scott, just can you plug, you know, cell phones for soldiers or if you see a veteran that needs it, do you guys do that kind of outreach within the 40,000 veteran nonprofits in the country?
Rob:Yeah, so other military nonprofits that have caseworkers that are working with a veteran, and also the VA, those are the two number one places that we're getting veteran requests from. Right now there are veterans that will be in the office with a caseworker at the VA and you can kind of hear on the voicemail is this veteran doesn't have a phone and how can Cell Phones for Soldiers provide that device to them? Those are the number one ways that we're currently getting in contact with veterans and and in this community, uh it brothers and sisters in arms. I mean it's very full of mouth and so word has already gotten out there that this program has successfully deployed over a thousand phones and phone service to veterans. That word passes quickly and so we don't need any.
Rob:I would say help on PR marketing of the mission. I would say we just need support on generating more funds to be able to serve this community, because there's an endless supply of veterans that need this service. Yeah, but word is passing around very, very quickly that this program exists and so, absolutely, military nonprofits and veterans administrations, associations, american legions, vfw posts, anywhere that there is a community of veterans, that are organizing. We're hearing from them already saying, hey, we have a veteran that came in. He needs this service. She needs this service. Can you send them a phone?
Scott:Excellent, excellent.
Andrew:And our goal is obviously to be able to increase the scale to be able to support all that. And you know Rob mentioned, as far as the website, the website's just cellphonesforsoldierscom, and also on that website, because a lot of your veterans aren't going to have access to log into a website. So people that get to be the connectors are important, right, but there is a section on there called Get Involved. So if you're looking to get involved, whether it be donation, connecting to this veteran community or learning more, that is out there on the website.
Scott:Okay, and so we talked a little bit before the podcast and one of my questions and I love like with my one man, one mic, foundation, cheap plug. Here we go when I teach veterans how to podcast from beginning to end, from concept to upload, and it's free, which is, if you look up how much it costs to do those things, I do it for veterans for free. Uh, and it's all about podcasting and storytelling, and storytelling is very important. I believe that was my experience. To a veteran, I say a veteran veteran's story is their strength, it's their biggest strength. Now, with that said, and we both, as Andrew kind of brought up, both nonprofits have a national reach, which is very rare for nonprofits. You want to touch on that, andrew?
Andrew:We are national right and the opportunity and the reason why Rob has also put an advisory board is they've created an amazing program. It's evolved to the point where right now, as it's scaled, it's 1,000 phones they've provided, but they've actually stood up new operations which are going to allow them to provide more. So it's really getting that access in and for anyone listening to your podcast, right, we mentioned the website, but ultimately those phones that you have at home, you know each one of those can represent, you know, connection for for a veteran and, as Robbie mentioned earlier, those are ways to get those to this particular organization so that those can be used for good and it doesn't matter what state you're in. We have the means to actually get those to the right place to support those veterans.
Scott:So, rob, back to the stories aspect of this. What stories have you gotten back from families of service members? Do you have anything that kind of stands out where someone reached out to you and said listen, I got to tell you.
Rob:Yeah, it's got to be the gold star. Mothers and fathers that we've heard from using our calling cards and being you know that was the last conversation that their son or daughter had talking to their parents and just being grateful for the opportunity to have had that conversation with the Cell Phones for Soldiers calling card and the impact that that program made. We've already heard from veterans now that have used our cell phone to get employment opportunities. We've already heard that they have had medical appointments, that the caseworker has been able to keep in touch with this veteran. They're so grateful that this program exists because they never would have kept in touch with that veteran.
Rob:So, just hearing some of these stories of the power of connection and just like the power of storytelling, these veterans have stories to tell. A lot of them and some you know a lot of their stories are struggling. Right now they're telling their story of their struggle and that they need help and they're able to do that with the cell phones for soldiers mobile device and so I think this, this charity, this nonprofit and this mission has has so much runway to help a lot of people Because, again, if you don't, if you don't have the ability to tell your story. If you don't have that, that solution, that communication solution, you're falling behind, you're falling through society's crack cracks and you're and you're never going to get the help that you need if you can't tell that story. So giving them a platform with these devices is really something I'm very proud of.
Scott:And I just want to say anything that I can do for you down here with the South Florida veterans community. I would be more than happy to put it out on all the Facebook groups I belong to down here and they're pretty good. Facebook groups as a whole have a tendency to turn into dumpster fires. That's a fact. That is a fact, except for one, and I'm going to go off subject a little bit. There is one Facebook group that I belong to that has the I've never seen an argument, and I'll tell you who they are the slow cooker community. They are the nicest people on Facebook, they'll argue. The only thing they argue over is if you put barbecue sauce in there or ketchup. I don't know. I don't know that's an argument.
Scott:But this is one veterans group on Facebook that has really good admins and I would be more than glad to put out you know the cell phone for soldiers, word through that and uh, of course this podcast is going to be heard. You know everywhere. Anything I can do for you to help further the cause down here in South Florida, I would be more than willing to help, and I actually have an South Florida. I would be more than willing to help, and I actually have an idea that I'll talk to you about after, after the podcast. What's that, andrew?
Andrew:I was just going to thank you. I mean, we've had a couple of conversations leading up to this, so I want to thank you and and from both Rob, myself and the organization, we're excited about this not just being a simple podcast, right, we're excited to stay connected with you with the outreach that you have. So we look at this as a launchpad, yes, but we will absolutely stay engaged with you and take you up on that.
Scott:Yes, yes, and this is being recorded pre-Thanksgiving, so I want to wish you both a happy Thanksgiving. I'm not going to say, rob, that I miss Massachusetts, but I miss Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. There's just something about it, right, it's the motherland of Thanksgiving, right?
Rob:I couldn't agree more. I mean, hey, where else in the country can you have the sun go down at 4 o'clock when you're having Thanksgiving dinner?
Scott:It feels like dinner time and the Christmas lights come on at 4 30 on thanksgiving you'll see that already yeah, and and uh, andrew, he andrew's kind of bragged before the uh, before the podcast, and he showed us where he's at on thanksgiving. I assume you're going to be there for thanksgiving, andrew, I am yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, the beautiful scenic desert out of his back patio balcony. It's like, come on, you're killing us here, although I do live in Boca Raton, so it's not so bad. It's not so bad.
Andrew:They're both not bad, except, I'll tell you, we do have to travel normally over the holidays so we can truly catch that Christmas spirit, because a cactus with a Santa hat doesn't really jive with my Midwest roots understanding of Christmas and the holidays.
Scott:I hear you there. Well, gentlemen, again, thank you so much. This was well worth waiting for this. Again, to reiterate, this part of this episode has been delayed numerous times, but with Andrew's diligence and keeping this ball rolling, this was an amazing interview and I'm going to tell you this as a podcaster. You don't usually say these things, but no editing will be done in this podcast. You two were perfect. You are a podcast interview dream. I'm telling you that I'm going down this list of questions and I don't have to ask that one. Don't have to ask that one. What about that? Nope, don't have to ask that one either. There you go. You guys absolutely nailed it. You covered more than what I had to ask and I love that. I love that. So this is a good Christmas present for me, early Christmas present. This is just getting uploaded and delivered.
Andrew:We're super grateful for all your pre-work. That meant nothing. So we're going to be highly diligent for us just to burn it.
Scott:But if I went into this, going, ah, these two guys got it, I'm going to get screwed.
Andrew:Murphy's Law. We know that one well, I'll be stumbling all over the place, indeed, yeah.
Scott:So, gentlemen, again, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I look forward to talking to you guys more in the future Probably more Andrew, because I know Rob is a busy man. He used to be a busy boy doing this, now he's a busy man right.
Scott:Right there you go doing this. Now he's a busy man. Right there you go. That's an amazing story, an amazing story, and I think the listeners are going to truly appreciate everything you've done, Rob, and with that, I want to thank you guys for listening. What I want you to also do is listen to the end of the podcast. There's a good public service announcement that helps veterans, family members of veterans and civilians, so to speak. In itself, there's a lot of like I said, just listen, it's 30 seconds long, but it's very informative. And with that, you guys will hear me next week with another episode.
