October 20, 2011 (Eagle River, WI) – Trees for Tomorrow received a green gift from Cellcom in the amount of $1,400 at a presentation at their facility today.

Trees for Tomorrow is an accredited specialty school focusing on natural resource topics, and has been offering environmental education to students, teachers, adults, seniors, and others since 1944. They use a combination of field studies and classroom presentations to teach conservation values as well as demonstrate the benefits of contemporary resource management.

"We are very honored to be acknowledged by Cellcom’s green gift program. Trees for Tomorrow has reached more than 200,000 students, teachers and adults during the past 68 years and is proud to be the only accredited natural resource specialty school in the Midwest,” said Maggie Bishop, executive director for Trees for Tomorrow. “Cellcom’s gift will be used to provide scholarship support to underprivileged students that are interested in learning about our natural resources and the importance of sustainable management and use of them."

A total of $30,950 was given out to 17 green organizations in Cellcom’s service area.

Since 2004 Cellcom has offered a cell phone recycling program where customers can bring in their old or unwanted phones to be reused and recycled. Cellcom sends the phones to recyclers who in return send money to Cellcom for the materials that were saved from the phones. Cellcom has always donated this money back to local non-profits.

This is the second year that Cellcom is donating their recycling funds to green non-profit initiatives in an effort to complete the green cycle that starts with consumers being environmentally-conscious and donating their devices.

“We are constantly taking steps to become more eco-friendly as a company,” said Brighid Riordan, director of public affairs. “By dedicating our recycling money to green initiatives, Cellcom continues our longstanding commitment to the community and together we can work toward a greener tomorrow.”

Other green gifts went to non-profits throughout Cellcom’s service area and included Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (Green Bay), Preble Agriscience Natural Resources Program (Green Bay), Greater Green Bay YMCA Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya (Suring), Trees for Tomorrow (Eagle River), Friends of Mosquito Hill (New London),  Heckrodt Wetland Reserve (Menasha), Northwoods Elementary School (Rhinelander), CAP Services (Stevens Point), Central Rivers Farmshed (Stevens Point), Woodland Dunes Nature Center (Two Rivers), Whitefish Dunes State Park (Sturgeon Bay), The Ridges Sanctuary (Bailey’s Harbor), Oconto River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Camp Tekawitha (Shawano), Crivitz High School Science Club, DC Everest School Forest (Schofield), and Marathon High School Ecology Club.

Cellcom’s recycling program has generated over $105,000 for local charities over the past seven years.

Pictured:
John LaShua, Cellcom
Maggie Bishop, Executive Director - Trees for Tomorrow
DJ Alderman, President of Board of Directors - Trees for Tomorrow (Futurewood Corporation)