Joey Mancino, 13, wants your old cell phone, but he promises not
to make any calls.
Joey Mancino, 13, wants your old cell phone, but he promises not to make any calls.
Working toward his emerald star in 4-H, he has chosen a project that helps members of the community, and helps people get rid of old dinosaur phones they may have stashed in a junk drawer around the house.
“I started early on this project because even if I didn’t get 4-H permission, this was still something I wanted to do,” Mancino said. “When I do community service and help others it makes me feel good.”
In conjunction with the California Narcotics Officers’ Association (CNOA), Mancino is collecting old cell phones so they can be recycled and refurbished. According to Robert Hussey, executive director of CNOA, the phones are given to a company in San Diego who then pays anywhere from 25 cents to $3 for a phone. Money raised will go to the California Narcotics Officers’ Survival Memorial Fund, which provides money for widows and families of any law enforcement officer who lost his or her life on the job. San Benito County currently has its own CNOA task force.
“This is the first time we’ve had a young boy participate and help out with our program, and I think it’s just fantastic,” Hussey said.
Not only will the money raised be given to the survivor’s fund, but the phones that are refurbished will be donated to programs working with domestic violence victims.
Mancino, who joined 4-H because of his love for animals, said being in this club and working on this project has helped him grow in many ways.
“It has helped me become more responsible and I’m improving with public speaking,” he said.
One way Mancino will be advertising his campaign to collect old phones is through fliers and asking other clubs for their support. His public speaking skills will be put to the test.
“I’ll be going around giving presentations about the project, and asking other clubs to help my cause and get the word out that I’m collecting phones,” he said.
His donation box at the Cooperative Extension Office has already gathered more than 30, and the number is on the rise.
Joey’s mother, Candice Mancino, is proud of the hard work her son is putting into the project, and that he is giving back to the community.
“I really think it’s great to see him giving back when he has been given so much in the past,” she said. “It’s really amazing to see what great leadership and self-esteem these kids are taught in 4-H.”
Mancino will be honored with the emerald star for his hard work and community service at awards night this fall. Those who wish to donate can bring their old cell phones to the 4-H pancake breakfast April 25, at the Elks Lodge, or drop them off at the Cooperative Extension Office in the Veterans Building on San Benito Street.
In the past 102 years, 4-H has become the largest out-of-school youth program in the United States – both in rural and urban areas throughout the country. It offers youth opportunities in communications, leadership, career development, animal and plant science, home improvement, technology and much more to nearly seven million American youth.
