Most of us can reach our loved ones with the press of a few buttons. But that's not the case for soldiers in Iraq.
One soldier from Massachusetts recently rang up a $7,000 cell phone bill that neither he nor his family could pay.
But thanks to 13-year-old Brittany Bergquist (search), who with the help of her brother started "Cell Phones for Soldiers," phoning home is now easier for men and women fighting in the war.
"If they can't call home, their families have no idea if they're OK or not," said Bergquist, who has a cousin overseas.
The youngster even collected old phones and some cash from her seventh-grade class.
"They actually gave me their snack money and their ice cream money just to help it get off the ground."
When Brittany brought the $21 she'd collected from classmates to her local bank, the bank was so impressed by her initiative they threw in $500 for the cause. And the donations continue to grow.
And after working the phones and e-mail to drum up support, just last week Brittany got a surprise call.
"We got a call from the White House saying the president is very proud of what we're doing and that when he was in the Massachusetts area, he wanted to come meet us."
Brittany is now trying to get long-distance companies to donate phones and service. Soon her project could help faraway soldiers feel that much closer to home.
For more information about the Cell Phones for Soldiers, visit: www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. Or send an e-mail to: cellphonesforsoldiers@yahoo.com.
You may also send a check, money order or pre-paid phone card to:
Cellphones for Soldiers
C/O South Shore Savings Bank
5 Assinippi Avenue
Norwell, MA 02061
Additionally, you may send any old or unused cell phones to:
Standard Communications
31 Schoosett St.
Suite 205
Pembroke, MA 02359
Click here to watch a report by Fox News Channel's Alisyn Camerota.
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