We had quite the turnout for gathering supplies for Rick & his unit. I believe the final count was 8 boxes sent over. I also wrote an article about it. Here's the link:
Teens Support our Troops
However, since then, I've collected authentic Eagles jerseys to send over. You can read about that here:
Update: Eagles/Phillies Support our troops
I'm currently working with my paper on the best way to disperse the jerseys. I'll keep you posted. First, though, wish me luck!
"Adopt-a-Soldier" Project
If you’ve been following the HSBG and Valley Homeschoolers’ message boards, you know that we have decided to "adopt" Gina’s son Ricky, soldier serving in Iraq, and his unit. I’ve cobbled together the pertinent information concerning this project. PLEASE COME to Molasses Creek Park on July 13th at 1pm with items to send to Ricky and his unit!
It started with this:
Our own Gina Budine’s son, Ricky, is currently serving in Iraq. She sent the following letter to me. I’ve attached his picture. ... is there anyone that can help Gina’s boy with this seemingly, hopefully, simple request?
My son is currently in Iraq and his only request has been for DVD copies of the Phillies games~he misses them terribly. Now, I have been driving myself crazy to try and get this for him without having to invest a fortune in a DVR system and pay membership fees. I was wondering if I could post a quick note asking if there is anyone out there that would do this for my son (I could buy the DVD's, of course). If not, that is okay too. I'm just trying to think of alternative ways or ask around.
I spoke with Gina Budine, Ricky’s mom, the other day. The young men & women are living in next to primitive conditions. In fact, they don’t even have refrigerators in their quarters & they’re going to be there for a full year! They’re forced to purchase them. ...really upset to hear that. Isn’t it enough that they’re putting their very lives on the line? Our country couldn’t even provide them with refrigerators in the middle of a desert? Don’t even get me started about air conditioners; when the average temperature during the summer is 110 - 120 degrees. And according to Gina, they work long, long days. When he calls home, he’s so exhausted, he can barely speak.
When Gina was on the phone with her boy, she heard him give his phone card to another soldier. He was sharing his minutes, as precious as they are to him. That says a lot about the character of this young man. We, as homeschoolers, should be really, really proud to have such a man represent us.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
I've set up Monday, July 13th, as a day for those of you who’d like to drop something off to be shipped to Rick & his platoon. We will be at Molasses Creek Park on Krammes Road, across from the Milford Township Building. Gina will be there, & it would be great for her to see an outpouring of support from us.
We know that the economy is horrible right now. But we know that you’d still like to contribute something. Gina said that home made cards are like gold. So are cookies & anything that isn’t chocolate (which will melt before it even gets in their hands). PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, though, that the boxes have are only 5" high by 12" wide. Michele and Deb Orzel have also offered to ship boxes.
International phone cards top the list of what these guys need. Even though they say 550 minutes, after the fees, the soldiers only end up with 113. We had quite the conversation about AT&T not pitching in for these guys, but, that’s a rant for another day. If you’d like to purchase one, go to:
https://thor.aafes.com/scs/product.aspx
The first card 550 min. for $27.50 is good and then a little further down 300 min. for $18.00. It is better to send them to yourself and then on to Iraq due to the website asking for the country name and we're not supposed to write that on any package.
If you can’t afford to purchase one by yourself, but would like to make a contribution, please bring the money on the 13th or mail a check to me. I’ll put it with any other monies received & buy the cards. The address is:
Tamara Kells
PO Box 213
Palm, PA 18070
Another way to support Rick & his platoon is to email him! They crave knowing that we support them & are praying for their safe return. His email address is:
I know he’d love to hear from you!
… thank you so much for showing your support to our soldiers. They are away from family and familiar surroundings and miss home! They will be there until approx. June 2010.
Here is the address:
SPC, ALVARO, RICHARD
427TH MOVEMENT CONTROL TEAM
COB QWEST
APO AE 09351
bravenet.com