Augusta residents donate cell phones for abuse victims

AUGUSTA - Augusta residents are donating old wireless phones to help prevent domestic abuse. <br> <br> More than 100 phones have been donated in Augusta in the past two weeks as part of a national program sponsored by the Wireless Foundation, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Motorola, called Call to Protect. <br> <br> Jerry Ikner says there are more than 30 (m) million wireless phones lying idle in the U-S that the owners can&#39;t use, but that they could be used to help abused women. <br> <br> Ikner is sales manager at Milton Ruben Auto Mall in Augusta, a collection site for the phones. <br> <br> Once collected, they&#39;re sent to the Wireless Foundation in Washington, where each phone is specially programmed for emergency service and equipped with free air time, donated by wireless carriers. They are then distributed to domestic violence shelters, law enforcement agencies and other organizations that prevent abuse. <br> <br> There are 27 collection sites in Georgia.