Lafayette House receives phones from teens spearheading community initiative

Nov. 6—Clients seeking refuge and safety through the Lafayette House in Joplin have another protective tool to access, thanks to a recent donation of free emergency cellphones by two Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School brothers.

Shrihari Nagarajan, 17, a senior and his brother, Prithvi Nagarajan, a 15-year-old sophomore, have collected nearly 100 donated cellphones through the nonprofit Secure the Call. The goal is to repurpose the phones as emergency devices for the elderly, domestic violence victims and others at risk in the community.

Lafayette House serves adults, children and families experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault or substance use disorders in a seven-county area in Southwest Missouri. Founded in 1978, the Lafayette House serves more than 1,300 people annually.

Louise Secker, development director at Lafayette House in Joplin, said they received at least 10 phones from the brothers last week and have already been distributing them out to those in need. The phones not only give the clients their own freedom but also the ability to call for help 24/7.

"We can give them to our clients to use where they'll always have a phone with them," she said. "They can keep to themselves, and it's not connected to another account. They'll always have access to 911, which is very important."

Secker said clients can be paired with a phone if they don't have their own or would like to keep it turned off to prevent tracking or stalking.

"We encourage them to turn off their location services, especially if they're staying in our emergency shelter, and these phones can be used to take back and forth to appointments or to court hearings," she said. "They're completely untraceable and ensure that they always have access to 911."

In the past, Secker said they've received donated phones, but the devices were broken and didn't include chargers. The donations they received from the teens all have working batteries and chargers.

"The ones the boy gave us from Secure the Call came individually wrapped, ready to go with the charger attached," she said. "They're just ready to distribute, which is what makes their program so great for us. I think it's one more thing we can do to make someone feel safe, and it's an added peace of mind for them."

Shrihari and Prithvi Nagarajan have placed cellphone donation barrels at five locations: the Joplin Public Library, the Webb City Public Library, Joplin Family Dentistry, Joplin Children's Dentistry, and the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts.

The barrels were donated by Secure the Call, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2003 that collects used and unwanted phones, tablets and chargers for redistribution to its 400-plus community partners. This includes senior citizen centers, domestic women's shelters, as well as police and sheriff's departments.

Secure the Call collects the phones and then wipes them clean of any old numbers, contacts and data stored. After charging, cleaning and testing the phones, they give them back out to their coalition partners who in turn distribute them to the community. The all-volunteer organization is based out of Takoma Park, Maryland.

The brothers have collected 75 mobile phones with the goal of reaching 100 total. Shrihari said they've contacted over a dozen local organizations like Rapha International, Watered Gardens and senior centers to see if they need any emergency phones.

"We've had a great response with the amount of phones that we have received," he said. "We've been spreading the word to our friends, neighbors and people in our school. But it's also been successful due to the efforts of the host barrel locations, which have been posting it on social media. I think it's definitely a community effort."

Prithvi said it's been a great experience to see the community come together as one.

"I think I've learned a lot about how grateful the Joplin community is and how helpful they are," he said. "I'm really excited to see where this goes."

Starting in January, the Thomas Jefferson students plan to find more locations to host phone barrels to receive additional donations. Americans throw away approximately 500,000 cellphones daily, according to Secure the Call.

For more information, visit https://securethecall.org or call 301-891-2900.