Members of Tyrone American Legion Post No. 281 have chosen this time to kick off their local “Soldiers for Soldiers” campaign, which raises money for children who have lost a parent during the war on terror.
The Tyrone Legion is collecting empty inkjet cartridges and used cell phones to raise money for “American Legacy Scholarship” for the children of military personnel killed since September 11, 2001.
Steering committee members for the local “Soldiers for Soldiers” program include: Talmadge Cupp, Mark Laird, Willie Martinez, William Moses, Bob and Jean Nein, Steve Sellers, Wayne Shirk, Don Wagner, Sue Wheland and Post No. 281 Commander, Fred Zanghi, Jr.
Nationally, “Soldiers for Soldiers” was started by two active duty Air Force service members, Staff Sgt. Kenneth and Airman 1st Class Fallon O’Brien, when the husband and wife team started collecting empty inkjet cartridges and used cell phones both on and off their military base.
Fallon found a company that buys used cell phones and inkjet printer cartridges that was willing to pay $1 for the inkjet cartridges and $3 for every used cell phone collected, and they even paid the shipping cost.
Her investigation discovered that there are over 300 million inkjet cartridges and 150 million cell phones that end up in the nation’s landfills each year.
The inkjet cartridges and cell phones that are collected will all be recycled and will never end up in a land fill. The ink cartridges will be refilled and sold on the internet and the cell phones will be purged of all the information they contain and then broken down to their various components which are then sold, even the plastic cases are ground up and made into furniture.
Fallon met with the National Legion Commander where she proposed the idea that both active and former soldiers could be helping each other. They both agreed it was a natural fit, thus, “Soldier’s for Soldiers” was born.
Calculating the membership of both groups, and if each one could collect just one cell phone and one inkjet cartridge, they could raise $17,000,000 annually which indicates the potentiality of this one program and at the same time it helps save the environment.
“I committed our post to the program feeling it was a great opportunity for us former soldiers to support our fighting men and women and their families also,” said Zanghi, Jr. “The Herald got wind of the fact that we were getting involved in this and ran several articles in the paper and as a result the Tyrone Chamber of Commerce felt that this was a natural fit for them and offered their help.
“The Chamber, which represents many businesses, felt that they would like to help, as a lot of their members use cell phones and computers, and they also have numerous locations to place our collection boxes. Their representative has been meeting with our steering committee and a canvassing program has been organized which will hopefully reach all those that are willing to make a contribution to our effort in behalf of our fighting forces.
“We are not limiting our solicitation to just Tyrone but we are willing to go anywhere we can to obtain donations. Our aim is to make the Tyrone American Legion Post the number one post in the state of Pennsylvania in support of ‘Soldiers for Soldiers’,” added Zanghi, Jr.
Tyrone American Legion Post No. 281 will serve as the central collection location. The Daily Herald is also a drop off point as well as the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce office.
For more information, visit the American Legion web site at www.legion.org and click on “Soldiers for Soldiers” or call Post No. 281 at 684-3342.
