Bring a Phone to Work for Starship

29 May 2012
Media Release

New Zealand Businesses Sign up for “Bring a Phone to Work for Starship”

More than 250 businesses around New Zealand have already registered for ‘Bring A Phone To Work for Starship’ which is taking place throughout June.

Bring A Phone To Work for Starship invites organisations to ask their staff, clients and contacts to donate as many old mobile phones as they can during the month of June – and then donate these phones to Starship.

The Starship Foundation partners with recycling company Folamh to refurbish and on-sell the old phones to developing economies around the world, with proceeds going directly towards funding of Starship’s National Air Ambulance Service. Any phones beyond repair are recycled through the correct environmental channels.

Year-round the Starship National Air Ambulance Service flies top medical experts to life-threatening emergencies around the country. These vary from complications arising from normal childhood illnesses such as the flu to accidents (drowning, car crashes, sporting injuries); as well as children suffering from heart conditions, seizures and meningitis. Starship’s specialists stabilise the children and allow them to be brought safely to Starship where they can receive the care they need.

The Foundation is committed to providing $1.5 million annually to the service.

Bring A Phone To Work for Starship is the Starship Foundation’s way of celebrating World Environment Day in June, where organisations and individuals all over the world roll up their sleeves to help the planet.

“By asking organisations to donate their old mobile phones, not only will they help the environment, but they will help provide a vital service to critically ill and injured children around New Zealand as well,” says Starship Foundation CEO Brad Clark.

Some of the first businesses to register to take part in Bring A Phone to Work for Starship were Chevron, Skoda New Zealand, ABB Limited, Canon, City Care, Transfield Services and New Zealand Steel.

Bring A Phone To Work for Starship is an initiative within Starship’s ongoing Mobile Phone Appeal. Since the campaign launched three years ago, donated phones from around New Zealand have now helped raise more than $1.5 million for Starship. More than 480,000 phones have been donated in that time.

“No matter how many employees in an organisation, Bring a Phone to Work for Starship is an excellent way to foster teamwork and a practical way for staff to feel a sense of pride in belonging to an organisation that actively supports the environment and helps protect New Zealand’s most precious treasure – our children,” says Mr Clark.

Organisations interested in taking part in Bring A Phone To Work for Starship should contact Wendy at Folamh on 09 377 4750 or email wendy@folamh.co.nz. Alternatively visit
www.starship.org.nz/phone for more information about the Starship Mobile Phone Appeal.

ENDS

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