Ontario — A national program that helps provide emergency assistance to those who don’t have a cell phone is coming to the Western Treasure Valley. The 911 Cell Phone Bank is a not-for-profit organization that collects used cell phones, refurbishes them and provides them to people who need a cell phone strictly for emergencies. This demographic typically includes victims of domestic violence, the elderly, impoverished families and those with disabilities. Reyna Montoya, Ontario, is a volunteer with the organization and is spearheading the implementation of this program in Ontario and surrounding cities, including Nyssa and Payette. Montoya is a nurse and a victim of a three-year-long abusive relationship with her ex-husband, she said, and wishes a program such as this had been available to her during that time. “If there was a program like this, I might have gotten help a lot sooner,” Montoya said. After refurbishing the phones and programing them to where they only dial 911, they are distributed by organization volunteers, such as Montoya, and typically given to local police agencies to distribute as they see fit. Montoya has talked with local law enforcement agencies and cellular phone companies, she said. U.S. Cellular, 215 East Lane North, has already agreed to be a drop-off point for phones donated specifically for this purpose. Project Dove, which Montoya volunteered for at one time, offers similar services, but there are two major differences, she said. This program will only ask what the person’s circumstances are and nothing else — not even a name — and the program won’t be just for victims of domestic violence. Montoya provided a recent real-life example of a circumstance where a phone like this would likely have been useful. About two weeks ago, Montoya said she witnessed an elderly woman pull into the parking lot of her apartment complex and immediately noticed something was wrong. “I was outside and as a nurse, I recognized some symptoms when I saw her,” Montoya said. “I went and asked if she was OK and she said, ‘No, I have chest pain,’ and so I called the ambulance for her. But what if no one had been there and she had no phone?” Montoya said that families with young children who cannot afford a phone could have one of these in the event of an emergency with a child, or victims of domestic violence can get one and hide it in the event they need to quickly call for police assistance. Montoya said that when she was in an abusive relationship, they had one cell phone that she was not allowed to use. More drop-off locations will hopefully be made available in the future and various police agencies should be distributing cell phones soon, Montoya said. However, if anyone has any questions, needs a cell phone or would like to donate one, Montoya can be reached by phone at (541) 406-0308. argusobserver/news/cell-phone-program-coming-to-this-area/article_557234f8-1c91-11e3-a05e-0019bb2963f4.html
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 17:52:32 +0000
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