Laurel firefighters help to connect soldiers to families

Laurel volunteer firefighter Mike Sellner can relate to the ordeal that many overseas military service members face when calling home to the United States. Sellner, who served in the Navy and was stationed in Cuba in the mid-1970s, remembers the stacks of quarters and dimes sitting atop pay phones and the automated voice that told him to deposit more change.

Sellner and other members of the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department hope to make the process easier for today's military men and women by collecting used mobile phones for Cell Phones for Soldiers, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit group that trades in the devices for prepaid calling cards.

Each phone buys one 60-minute calling card, and the department has collected about 20 phones since starting its campaign late last month. The Laurel volunteers plan to continue the drive for the foreseeable future and aim to collect as many phones as possible, Sellner said.

This year is the first in which the department has participated in Cell Phones for Soldiers.

Sellner said he hopes the additional talk time will provide some comfort for service members who cannot be with their loved ones over the holidays.

"I'm sure it is a morale booster, especially while you're away from home and whatever situation you may be exposed to while in the military," he said.

Cell Phones for Soldiers was launched in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, two teenagers from the Boston area. In the past five years, the program has collected nearly 1 million calling cards for U.S. service members stationed at military bases around the world or receiving medical treatment in a military hospital.

Phil Ault, a member of the Laurel Lions Club, said the group has decided to join the fire department in collecting phones for the cause. The Lions Club routinely collects eyeglasses, hearing aids and cellphones for recycling, he said, and decided to donate the phones to the program as a gesture of gratitude to members of the U.S. military. The club has collected about 12 phones so far.

"Anything to help the guys that give us our freedom in this country is a big deal," said Ault, who also volunteers for the fire department.

Bob Bergquist, Robbie and Brittany's father, said Cell Phones for Soldiers has delivered calling cards to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The recipients always appreciate the gesture, he said.

"The stories that we hear [about] how the cards are used are just phenomenal," Bergquist said. "Just the opportunity to talk to family is a gift that they cherish."

Those wanting to participate can drop off used cellphones from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays at the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department, 7411 Cherry Lane, in Laurel.