I was just reading this post over at MobileCrunch where Oliver Starr came up on a terrible car wreck last night.  Long story short, he used his cell phone to call 911 and probably saved a life by getting help there so fast.  Nice job Oliver.

I remember coming across a bad accident like this when I was a young kid.  Unfortunately it was in the pre-cell phone days, and it took way too long to get help there.  My parents shielded me from most of the trauma, but I am sure not being able to get help there right away may have cost some lives.

So, what’s my point?  Well I’m a techie, and I’m sure many of my readers are too.  That means we probably have a drawer / box / closet full of old cell phones laying around – I know I do.  While I’ve always heard about donating cell phones (NOT recycling them), it’s never really hit home on how important it can be, until now.

Getting old phones into peoples hands will allow them to call 911 (even without a service contract), and could save lifes.

What can you do?

• Donate your old phones.  Many of these organizations have drop-off locations all over the country.  Just make sure the organization you are using is actually going to put the phone in someones hand, and not just recycle the materials. Here are a few links to get you started:
• http://www.phones4life.org/donate.php
• http://www.donateaphone.com/CalltoProtect/donate.c…
• http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone_129.h…
• http://www.shelteralliance.net/
• http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=donate+cell+p…
• Make sure your family members have a phone.  For less than $10 a month, I added a phone to my plan for my parents.
• Blog This!! Get the word out!  (feel free to cut and paste this whole text, no attribution needed)

Thanks for listening,

-Ed