BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — You’re new iPhone 5S is sleek and shiny, but what are you doing with your old phone? Before you sell it on eBay or hand it off to a relative, consider making a donation to aid victims of domestic abuse in Palm Beach County.
From the Clerk’s Office:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Clerk Sharon Bock is asking everyone in Palm Beach County to bring their used cell phones and chargers to their closest Clerk’s office location so they can be donated to domestic abuse victims.
“Your old phone can be a lifeline for an abuse victim,” Clerk Bock said. “I hope anyone who has an unused cell phone and charger will consider donating it to our annual cell phone drive, so victims can use it to make life-saving emergency calls, or let their family members know they are safe.”
All phones and chargers collected throughout October will be donated to Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse and the YWCA Harmony House.
Phones and chargers will be accepted from October 1 through October 31 at the following locations:
- Belle Glade: Room S-100, West County Courthouse
- Delray Beach: Room 1S-127, South County Courthouse
- Palm Beach Gardens: Room 1211, North County Courthouse
- West Palm Beach: Room 3.22, third floor, Main Courthouse
- Royal Palm Beach: Suite 500, Midwestern Communities Service Center
All phones are sent to be refurbished, and personal information removed from them, after they are given to the domestic violence agencies. The agencies then give the phones to their clients so they can make emergency calls. The phones also can be connected with cellular service providers so abuse victims can use the phones for other calls.
Phones that can’t be refurbished will be recycled, with money going back to the domestic violence agencies to help them continue their important work within the community.
This is the eighth year that the Clerk’s office is collecting phones during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last year, the office collected 547 phones.
The Clerk’s office is often a first stop for many domestic abuse victims, who visit the office to file injunctions against their abusers. The Clerk’s office’s Domestic Violence Department has many resources for victims, including information about how to file an injunction or complaint, answers to frequently asked questions and contact information for agencies that assist domestic abuse victims.
