After Jason Clements and Aaron Randel both lost close family members to cancer, they wanted to raise money for people going through similar experiences.
They approached a friend at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with their idea of what would become Cells for Cells: Their business would work with corporations to recycle used mobile devices. Clements and Randel would then sell the refurbished parts and scrap metal, and sale proceeds would be directed to the cancer organization.
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society said yes. Cells for Cells now has more than 100 corporate partners and has raised more than $30,000 for the organization.
The company’s founders hope the money they donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society helps relieve some of the everyday financial burdens families face.
The company also has developed the “Extreme Medical Bill Makeover,” which donates $500 or more to families who submit their stories.
“What happened to us happens to thousands of people every day,” says Dawn Wooten of Wichita, whose husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at age 37. Cells for Cells gave them an outlet to tell their story. They became the first recipients of the makeover award.
Cells for Cells sent them a check for $500 to put wherever they needed it most.
“That doesn’t sound like much, but we were able to put that money toward one of Jeff’s medical bills,” she says. “Four and a half years after the original diagnosis, we still have an insane amount of medical debt, but every little bit helps.”