Visit us online at www.virginmobileusa.com/regeneration
THERE ARE OVER 1,000,000 HOMELESS YOUTH AMONG US TODAY. THAT’S NEARLY ONE FOR EVERY SCHOOL CAFETERIA. Even if its just a text message, you can help.
Over two million youth (between the ages of 12 and 24) will experience at least one episode of homelessness each year and over 100,000 youth sleep on the street for 6 months or more in America. Most have been forced from their homes because of circumstances beyond their control. Some manage to make it through school but others are less fortunate, resorting to begging or prostitution just to survive. And homeless kids have different needs than homeless adults - they haven’t even had a chance to live their lives yet. Virgin Mobile, with the help of Virgin Unite, wants to change that. The RE*Generation is our effort to empower a generation to help its own. We’re bringing together organizations that care about homeless youth and connecting them with young people who want to help. And we’re making it easy for our customers to take an active role and get involved -through donating, volunteering, and even text messaging and downloading. With The RE*Generation, one person really can make a difference.
GET HELP Everyone needs help sometimes. Fortunately, there are some great people out there offering assistance. If you or someone you know could use a hand, please contact one of these organizations:
To find shelter or housing programs for homeless youth funded by the federal government, go to http:// www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/
If you’re thinking about running away from home, please call the National Runaway Switchboard: 1-800-RUN-AWAY
If you or someone you know is living on the streets, please visit StandUp for Kids’ website at www. standupforkids.org
For information regarding Children’s Health Fund’s mobile clinical services, please visit:www. childrenshealthfund.org
For information about the Phoenix Children’s Health Project, please call: 1-888-254-4297
For information about the San Francisco Peninsula’s Children’s Health Project, please call: 1-888711-TEEN
For additional resources please visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s website at www.naeh.org
HERE ARE SOME EASY WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF HOMELESS YOUTH RIGHT, TODAY. TXT2DONATE It’s easy for anyone to contribute to making a differnce in the lives of homeless youth. In conjunction with Virgin Mobile FreeFest we are collecting donations for RE*Generation charitable partners. Simply text FREEFEST to 20222 and a one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. All donations will be collected by Virgin Unite, the charitable foundation of the Virgin Group, to benefit street outreach and transitional living programs. You do not have to be a Virgin Mobile customer as any person with a cell phone can participate.
In April 2007, The RE*Generation Task Force hit Capitol Hill to convince Congress to establish a National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in November. Thanks to the compelling testimony of Jewel and her fellow Task Force members, the resolution was introduced in Congress and passed into law!
RECYCLE USED PHONES Come support the cause online with socialvibe!
Virgin Mobile makes it easy to recycle old cell phones. Just gather up and old cell phone you lying around the house and bring them to your participating local independent wireless store where you can leave them in the Virgin Mobile drop-off box. Or you can mail it to us by printing our a pre-paid shipping label at http://virginmobileusarecycle.com. Virgin Mobile will try to reuse your phone by sending it on to people who are in need of a mobile phone, at a reduced price, Or, if we can’t reuse the phone, we’ll recycle the parts in an environmentally correct way.
A COUPLE MORE WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. GIVE A DONATION Make a direct donation to The RE*Generation’s charitable partners* with your credit card from Virgin Unite’s Website. (http://www.virginunite.com)
VOLUNTEER Give back in your area by going to http://www.virginunite.com. Then head on over to the Give time section of the site and see what we can find for you to help out with. Anything you can do will be greatly appriciated.
OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR
Here’s just some of what weve accomplished since June 2006, when The RE*Generation began: • Over $180,000 has been donated to The RE*Generation’s charitable partners through contributions from Virgin Mobile Festival ticket sales. • Over $35,000 has been raised for The RE*Generation’s charitable parters through our Txt2Donate program. • November has officially been designated by Congress as “National Homeless Youth Awareness Month” here in the U.S. • Approximately 180,000 items of clothing have been donated through our Txt2Clothe and Blank2Clothe programs. • Through your donation and help from our partners, over $3 million has been invested in building The RE*Generation so far. Please help keep these donations coming!