By donating an old or unwanted cell phone to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan this month, residents can help support victims of domestic violence.

The Call to Protect program is sponsored by the Wireless Foundation and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and provides free cell phones to individuals who might need to call for help in a domestic violence situation. The program's leaders hope to collect a large amount of phones during the following weeks for National Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Call to Protect phones are programmed to speed-dial local police departments, domestic violence shelters and other agencies.

Blue Cross spokeswoman Cheryl McDonald said the program is a nationwide effort. More than 800 phones were collected last year, she said.

The Wireless Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization, began the Call to Protect campaign in 1996.

Wireless Foundation Executive Director David Diggs said the foundation has collected about 33,000 that have been given to domestic violence shelters.

"The wireless industry comes under a lot of criticism," he said. "It's nice to be able to point to the fact that there is a strong community-spirit element that the industry supports."

The foundation collects the phones and works with wireless carriers in order to receive free emergency airtime for victims. The phones are then distributed to member agencies across the country, such as local domestic violence agencies, which then distribute the cell phones to at-risk victims.

About 20 percent of the phones donated are useless, Diggs said, but they try to make sure that they "don't end up in the Dumpster."

"They're all recycled, so you're still doing something good by donating it," he said. "The other 80 percent become good, low-cost alternatives. They're refurbished and distributed to domestic violence shelters."

Experts estimate there are more than 60 million inactive phones in the country. Through the Call to Protect program, thousands of those phones have rotated throughout shelters helping an estimated 200,000 people, Diggs said.

"The donation part solves the question of 'What do I do with my old phone?' But there are other reasons to donate, too," Diggs said.

"One, they're used toward a very good community cause. Two, we recycle them even if they're not usable. And three, you don't have to write a check."