Nonprofit Call2Recycle Makes Donation to Kids Help Phone

TORONTO--(Marketwire - March 12, 2009) - Call2Recycle®, the nation's most comprehensive rechargeable battery and cell phone recycling solution, today announced a donation of $12,750 to Kids Help Phone, a free, anonymous, national counselling, referral and information service for children and young adults. The cheque was presented to Mary Proulx, VP, Fund Development & Regional Operations for Kids Help Phone by Carl Smith, Chairman of the Board of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation of Canada (RBRCC).

The donation made by Call2Recycle, which has partnered with Kids Help Phone since 2007, will help sustain programming and services for young people served by the organization. In addition to donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of refurbished phones it collects, Call2Recycle also works with the organization to foster grassroots involvement and encourage cell phone recycling. Call2Recycle has worked with Kids Help Phone to collect and recycle cell phones at local events and is in the process of developing a marketing kit to facilitate ongoing collections at future events.

"We are proud to aid Kids Help Phone's diligent efforts to provide children and young adults with an accessible support system," said Smith. "We hope that our contribution of a convenient and environmentally sound way to recycle cell phones will help continue these admirable services while also bettering the future of the planet."

Kids Help Phone provides immediate and anonymous professional help to children and young adults in approximately 3,000 Canadian communities every year. In 2008, Kids Help Phone supported children and youth in need more than 2.2 million times on the phone and online.

"The generous donation from Call2Recycle helps ensure that we're continuously able to help younger generations who are dealing with a range of issues, from bullying and abuse to dating and family life," said Proulx. "We look forward to leveraging our partnership with Call2Recycle to further our education efforts about the importance of recycling cell phones, both within our network and with local communities we serve."

Call2Recycle is a free and convenient way to recycle old cell phones and used rechargeable batteries found in cordless electronic products, such as laptop computers, digital cameras, cordless power tools, PDAs, mp3 players, camcorders and two-way radios. For more information and local Call2Recycle collections sites, call toll-free 877-2-RECYCLE or visit www.call2recycle.org.

About RBRC

Call2Recycle® is the industry's first and only product stewardship program for rechargeable batteries. The nonprofit program is administered by the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), a public service organization dedicated to rechargeable battery recycling. There are tens of thousands of retail, business and community collection locations enrolled in Call2Recycle through throughout the United States and Canada. More than 350 manufacturers and marketers of portable rechargeable batteries and products show their commitment to conserve natural resources and prevent rechargeable batteries from entering the solid waste stream by funding the Call2Recycle program. In pursuit of its mission, Call2Recycle also collects old cell phones, which are either recycled or refurbished and resold when possible with a portion of the proceeds benefiting select charities such as Kids Help Phone. For more information, call 877-2-RECYCLE or visit www.call2recycle.org.

About Kids Help Phone

This year marks Kids Help Phone's 20th Anniversary. For the past two decades, Kids Help Phone has been at the forefront in providing help and hope through its phone and web counselling services, earning the respect and trust of kids across Canada. When young people feel like there's nowhere to turn, when parents, schools and social services are unavailable, closed, backlogged or simply not accessible for any reason, Kids Help Phone is there. Young people know that when they reach out to Kids Help Phone, any time of the day or night, they'll be connected with a professional counsellor who can provide immediate, kid-friendly insight, help and direction on a wide variety of issues relevant to youth.

Last year, Kids Help Phone counsellors connected with kids in almost 3,000 Canadian communities more than 2.2 million times. By continuing to reach out to kids in meaningful and innovative ways, Kids Help Phone will remain a trusted part of kids' lives for many years to come.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Briana Papa Crenshaw Communications 646-502-3573 briana@crenshawcomm.com Susan Antler RBRCC 416-535-9210 santler@rbrc.ca