****MEDIA ADVISORY****

May 27, 2005

For Immediate Release

WEINER, COLTON LAUNCH CELL PHONE COLLECTION DRIVE FOR LOCAL SENIORS

Lifeline for Many

Brooklyn, NY - This week, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn & Queens) and Assemblyman William Colton (D-Brooklyn) launched a cell phone collection drive for local seniors.  The donated phones will be reprogrammed for emergency 911 calls and distributed to elderly people in need.

Last month seniors from the Regina Pacis residence contacted Weiner and Colton, expressing concern that they could not call 911 from common areas of the residence.  In response the two legislators contacted Phones for Life, a non-profit organization that collects old cell phones to reprogram for emergency 911 calls.

On Sunday, they presented Regina Pacis with an emergency cell phone for seniors to use in the common area.  While the phone will provide a convenient safety net, many individual residents are eager for individual phones.

Weiner and Colton will be collecting donated phones in their district offices to redistribute to the seniors.  They will also be contacting and encouraging local stores in the area to place a box on their counters for used cell phones.

“Any steps we can take to make our seniors safer and more confident are steps worth taking,” said Rep. Weiner.  “Instead of trashing our old phones, we can donate them and give local seniors a helping hand.”

“The Phones for Life program is an excellent initiative that presents a win-win situation for our community,” said Assemblyman William Colton.  “Not only do we supply our seniors with an easy method of contacting emergency services, but we also remove a portion of electronic waste from our general waste stream. Reducing, reusing, and recycling our waste is the only true way to revitalize our environment.  I am proud to have joined forces with Congressman Anthony Weiner to deliver a homerun for our seniors and quality of life."

Phones will be collected at Rep. Weiner’s office at 1800 Sheepshead Bay Road and Assemblyman Colton’s office at 211 Kings Highway.