The Lake County Community Traffic Safety Team (CTST) is supporting the third anniversary of “Help Them Call Home,” which will be celebrated with a benefit phone ride on Saturday, Oct. 16, beginning at 9 a.m. at the American Legion-Post 347, located at 699 W. Lady Lake Blvd., Lady Lake (corner of County Road 466 & Rolling Acres Road).
The benefit phone ride will be escorted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to Gator Harley-Davidson, located at 1745 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg.
“The ride is symbolic,” said Lady Lake Police Chief Ed Nathanson, who initiated the “Help Them Call Home” campaign locally. “You do not have to be on a motorcycle to ride with us, you could be in a car or van.”
The anniversary celebration continues after the benefit phone ride at Gator Harley-Davidson from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes food and patriotic cakes from the American Legion Post 347. The Marine Corp League will give a presentation.
The Lake County CTST is supporting this worthwhile event by collecting unwanted and unused cell phones at its office at the Lake County Department of Public Works, located at 437 Ardice Ave. in Eustis. Each donated cell phone is recycled and turned into phone cards (worth 250 calling minutes) for troops serving overseas. Other cell phone drop-off locations include: American Legion Post 347, Gator Harley-Davidson, Stormy Hill Harley-Davidson in Clermont, Law Offices of Brent C. Miller in Clermont, Tavares, Inverness and The Villages, Lake County Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement agencies.
Since implementing the program locally three years ago, the Lady Lake Police Department and other local partners has helped raise more than one million prepaid calling minutes for soldiers.
For more information, call the Lady Lake Police Chief Ed Nathanson at (352) 751-7585. For more information about the Lake County CTST, call Cheryl Sutherland at (352) 483-9048.
