Two Door County Nonprofits Receive Cellcom Green Gifts

Cellcom has put recycled cell phones to work for the local community. The local wireless company has selected 22 nonprofits to receive $37,800 in Green Gifts, which uses money generated from its handset recycling program to annually fund green nonprofit initiatives. Two Door County nonprofits benefitted from the program, Crossroads at Big Creek and Open Door Bird Sanctuary.

Crossroads at Big Creek received a $2,680 Green Gift to support an installation of a bird and butterfly garden near its Collins Learning Center. The funding will be used to create walkways and patio areas, establish bird feeding stations, plant native flowers and shrubs and create water features. The garden will also serve as a model for those hoping to create native landscaping in their own yards.

“We have wetlands, prairies and forests, which are all marvelous for bird and butterfly watching. But many people cannot get to these places. Those with mobility issues, lack of stamina, young children and those with limited time simply cannot experience nature at close range,” said Coggin Herringa, director at Crossroads. “The Green Gift from Cellcom will support the addition of an accessible butterfly and bird garden and allow learners of all ages and abilities to enjoy nature right from the Collins Learning Center.”

Open Door Bird Sanctuary received a $1,500 Green Gift from Cellcom to support its raptor program. Open Door aims is to raise avian awareness, inspiring people to co-exist with the natural world surrounding them. The facility provides homes for raptors who cannot be released into the wild and give them a job as ambassadors in educational programming.

“While we still do many programs off site, our richest offering is right from home base. We are able to present various combinations of our resident birds for a close-up program and have many birds on display with volunteer interpreters stationed throughout,” said Jillaine Burton, general manager at Open Door. “The Green Gift from Cellcom will support the continuation of our onsite programs in 2017 and will help us to continue to drive home our mission of environmental awareness through an encounter with a live raptor.”

Cellcom is proud to support organizations of all sizes whose work is impacting the community and building a greener tomorrow. The company’s recycling program has generated $266,975 for local charities over the past 13 years.