Members of Alpha Chi Omega service fraternity will continue to collect old cell phones for the organization's "phoneraiser" 9 a.m. to noon Thursday in the Whitinger Business Building.
Approximately 20 members of Alpha Phi Omega spent Wednesday morning and afternoon collecting used cell phones in the Atrium.
Senior Jataun Bester said reusable phones would be refurbished and redistributed to less fortunate families, and phones unable to be repaired would be recycled according to state and EPA guidelines. The fraternity will then receive a check for its contribution to nonprofit recycling organizations, she said.
Bester, the fraternity's fundraising and social chair, said the idea for the phoneraiser stemmed from a need to find more original fundraising ideas while serving the campus at the same time.
"Recycling used cell phones helps the environment and incorporates service on campus and in the college community," she said.
Alpha Phi Omega president Jasmyn Burton said Alpha Phi Omega's biggest challenge in executing the fundraiser was late publicity. Other than passing out and posting flyers around campus Monday and Tuesday, little promotion was done, she said.
"It's hard because people don't carry around old cell phones," she said. "We should have publicized last week, or before break when people went home and could get their phones."
Junior Angel Rembert said because of the lack of publicity, the phoneraiser started the morning with few cell phone donations. By noon, she said, the phone donation box carried three cell phones, making for a dull shift for the project's volunteers.
"It's been slow," Rembert said. "We're just trying to get people's attention."
The fundraiser did receive notice from Atrium passersby, mainly because the phoneraiser is not a run-of-the-mill endeavor, Rembert said. Donating does not cost money out of a student's pocket, like a typical bake sale, and old phones are often useless for their owners, she said.
Fraternity treasurer Eden South said by 2 p.m. the phoneraiser box contained nine phones. South, who had donated a couple of phones, said that people passing by the table had promised to bring more phones in Thursday.
Bester said she came up with the phoneraiser idea and hoped people would participate.
"We hope that people see the small efforts they can do to make a big difference," Bester said.
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