Local woman takes on used cell phone drive for Friendship House
By Sandra Post | 2nd July 2007
Joan Hickman isn’t specifically asking people for their money or their time, although she’d welcome the opportunity to put both to good use, but she’d really like it if people would donate their used cell phones to Friendship House in Peoria. Joan, who also goes by Joanie, is a devoted, enthusiastic supporter of Friendship House and she knows they need a new roof. Roofs are expensive, about $150,000, she says, for the large building located at 800 NE Madison in Peoria. While she doesn’t have the resources for the new roof, she does have a genuine desire to do what she can to help the not-for-profit agency. And she’s hoping to do it one cell phone at a time.
CUTLINE: Joan Hickman
As part of the “American Cell Phone Drive,” cell phones are collected and then sent to PaceButler Corporation in Oklahoma. They in turn send a check to Friendship House. PaceButler will pay between $1.00 and $50.00 for each of the phones turned in.
Phones can be dropped off at Friendship House and Joan has collection boxes available for businesses or organizations agreeing to help collect the phones.
“It’s an on-going project,” says Joan. “There are very nice people here, and I want to help them.” She helps in myriad ways, volunteering her time each weekday from morning to mid-afternoon. She helps bag the bread and bagels for the daily give-away, helps sort donations for the thrift shop, works to keep the tables and rooms tidy, and collects used cell phones.
For more information on the cell phone project, please contact Friendship House at 671-5200, extension 24.
Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service, a social service agency funded in part through the Heart of Illinois United Way, has as its mission statement: “Our mission is to do the work of Jesus Christ, providing relief, respect, and renewal to Peoria’s most vulnerable individuals and families. Through the simple gesture of a free meal, a clean shirt, or a safe place to learn, Friendship House offers the hope of a new start to the least, the last, and the lost.”
Their services include a food pantry, Sunday Soup Kitchen, senior activities, programs for children and youth, rental and utility assistance, and Dress for Success.