Secure the Call

Girl Scouts across the nation are gearing up to hold Secure the Call (STC) sponsored cell phones drives to help seniors and victims of domestic violence. Not only will the Girl Scouts help to keep thousands of phones out of landfills – and their toxins out of our soil – they will help give those phones a new life as 911-emergency only phones for those who need them most.

Secure the Call’s goal is to have at least 100 Girl Scout troops organize drives in honor of 100 years of girl scouting. Girl Scout Councils throughout the USA are taking many approaches to collecting phones. Some plan to host Secure the Call donation booths at their local 100-Year celebrations as well as asking all of girls that attend the event to bring at least one old phone with them. Others are requesting STC’s cell phone collection barrel that they’ll use to hold collection drives.

Several months ago, several of the cell phone carriers discontinued supporting the older “analog” cell phones that been around for the past 15 years.  If you have one of these phones, you’re going to have to get an updated phone to replace the 911 phone you have now.

It’s simple to find out if your phone works.  From your cell phone, dial 611 and then hit the send button.  If the phone number you’re calling starts ringing, you can hang up.  Your phone works!  There’s no need to stay on the line and wait for someone to answer the phone (call 611 connects you with the cell phone carrier and is always a free call).   If it rings to 611, it’ll ring to 911. 

If you don’t hearing the phone ringing, your phone no longer works.  If this happens to you, don’t worry.  We’re working with a great organization called Secure the Call, which supplies us with 911 cell phones that works and is always free for you to use.  Let us know if you need a new phone. 

All of us at Secure the Call are proud to announce the launch of our new website, which will give us more opportunities to connect with the community and help those who are in need. You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, which will keep you up-to-date with what’s going on at Secure the Call.