Say thank you with an old cell phone

Published on Monday, October 22, 2007 9:01 AM CDT

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St. Tammany News

How many times have you switched cell phone plans, or upgraded your cell phone, and had a spare to take home? What did you do with it? Did you stick it in a drawer?

If you are like many of us, chances are there's a drawer filling up with cell phones that are no longer turned on in your home. If so, pull them out and get them ready for use by our parish's senior citizens.

The St. Tammany SALT Council (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) is collecting used cell phones to give to senior citizens. The phones will be refurbished and will not be able to make routine calls, but they will be capable of connecting to a 9-1-1 emergency center.

Ralph O'Neal, SALT chairman, said the new program is designated to help St. Tammany Parish senior citizens who do not have cell phones and have no portable method of calling for help, should the need it.

The first phones will be available to qualified seniors who attend the SALT Senior Security Seminar Wednesday at the Abita Town Hall. After Wednesday, the SALT Council will accept requests for free emergency cell phones and will fulfill them as phones become available.

The SALT Council will be collecting old cell phones to send in for processing, and the first box will be located at the Sheriff's Administrative office in the parish courthouse in Covington. O'Neal said they hope to have boxes at other law enforcement agencies soon.

Anyone who needs more information on the program can call 809-5450 or email info@stsalt.org.

If you are a senior and would like to attend Wednesday's seminar, call 809-5450 to pre-register.

All of us need to do whatever we can to help our senior citizens. Programs like SALT are doing good things to provide help and information to our older generation, and the rest of us need to do whatever is necessary to lend our support.

Our seniors made our parish the great place to live that it is today. Now it's our turn to say thanks, in as many ways as we can.

This is just one.

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