**REPOST** This is a requested re-posting of a diary that I wrote and published on 04/10/2011- Please enjoy the diary, but more importantly, please donate to this amazing cause! I know that times are really tough, but if you have even $5, this cause is so very worth every penny!
I know every mother thinks her child is special. I am absolutely no different- the only difference is, both of my kids really ARE special! Beantown girl (hereafter known as BG) and beantown boy (BB) look no different than any other 15 year old girl or 12 year old boy, but looks are definitely deceiving in this case. This is our tale of family fund raising for the troops!
BB and BG are, as I stated above, your typical kids. They fight with each other; I can't get either one to clean their room or make their beds =) But in many respects, they aren't typical kids at all. They lost their grandfather(my father) last July after a short illness. Their aunt, my sister, has been battling stage IV ovarian cancer for 2 years and both of my kids have been through the wringer with this situation. My sister is like their second mom and her illness has really hit both kids hard. During the first year of her illness, everything kind of came to a stop for all of us as we concentrated on helping her get through multiple surgeries and chemotherapy. Both BG and BB floundered a bit. Beantown dad and I had to break it to them that there would be no participation in outside activities, at least for awhile, since dad needed to work and I needed to be the caregiver to the family. That was 2009. In 2010, we decided it was time to return to some sort of normalcy- let BB go out for baseball, had BG participate in choir and band competitions. All was going right in our little world. Auntie was still struggling with chemo and hospitalizations, we just got better at managing everything-- and we just needed some "normal". Then my dad passed away in July- admitted to the hospital on a Thursday, I was removing him from the ventilator on Saturday. Quick, painful and devastating. Once again, our world was upside down, only this time, we still had auntie with cancer, grandpa gone and the new responsibility of taking care of grandma. Two great kids trying to just be kids in a very grown-up world.
O.K., that's a little bit of the back-story. Now, on to the reason for the diary. When we were going through pictures to display at the funeral home for my dad, the kids came across his pictures from the Army. My dad hated every minute of his time in the Army, hated being away from his new bride; however, he was proud of his service to our country in the time of war (Korean War, to be exact). My husband and I had several great conversations with the kids about the Service, about war and about sacrifice. A month later, BG and BB and I were having lunch and talking about donating some things to Goodwill, cleaning out closets and getting rid of old clothes and making room for new school things. The kids were talking about wanting to do something for someone- both said that they felt like they had so much and there were some people who didn't have anything. A family member had just gotten back from his third tour in Iraq/Afghanistan and beantown boy said maybe we could do something for someone in the Army- we could do it in honor of grandpa! DING, DING, DING-- it all came together for me. We came home and I got out a notebook and pen and handed it to my daughter. Write down some fund raising ideas- think of what we have seen done for all of our activities over the years, I told them. As they began brainstorming, I pulled up a couple NFTT diaries and printed them off, handing one to each child. I asked them to read through and tell me what they thought of donating to this cause. The rest, as they say, is history. Now, don't misunderstand, during these economic times, making any sort of headway with raising money has been a struggle- which has also been a good lesson for my kids. If you want something, you have to work hard to get it!
Here are a few pictures of some of the things we have done- bake sales being a major money maker! The flower cupcakes were a big hit! The bracelet is something my daughter made and took orders for in December. She made 7 bracelets for her classmates and sold them for $10. The girls gave them as Christmas presents.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Now, as I write the ending to this little story, my 2 kids are boxing up things from their room and the garage, labeling everything with a price tag for our upcoming garage sale. Hopefully we will raise a decent amount of money for the troops; whatever happens, though, I know I can never put a value to what my kids have learned! They will tell you, this fund raising thing is so easy, even a kid (or 2) can do it!
Our goal for Netroots For The TroopsTM 2011 is $100,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
NFTT's primary function is the purchasing and assembling of Care Packages at Netroots Nation to be mailed to American Military serving in war zones. However, the needs of our military families and veterans at home are also a NFTT priority. As llbear et al. have shown, far too often veterans and their families end up caught between a need and red tape. As we raise funds this year remember that your donation will be helping on multiple levels. Our deployed sons and daughter will know they have not been forgotten. Military families will know that they are not alone. Veterans at home will receive needed help.
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. We will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help: 1. Please contact TexDem if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. Just leave him a message through the dkos message system. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!2. We are accepting cash from individuals and -beg- ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops.
3. Sign up for a diary! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction. You can tell us why you are donating or share a story of someone you know who has served or is serving. You can post some favorite pootie and woozel photos. Or how about some gardening photos? We love them! Recipes? We're ready to cook. A list of the top ten guitarists of all time? We'll listen. An homage to your favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer? (Terry Pratchett is one of mine.) We'll be reading. We want you to have fun while raising money for our troops and their families. Just drop Onomastic/Ono a message through the dkos message system to get the template and on the schedule.
4. Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: info@netrootsforthetroops.com before May 31, 2011. Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests: Rank: Last name: First name: APO Address Line 1: APO Address Line 2: APO Address Zip:
If you know of a Military Unit that would like to receive care packages please include Unit and contact information by May 15, 2011.
5. Write letters to be included in the packages! If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
6. Help us assemble the packages in Minneapolis. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Minneapolis and would like to help there.
7. Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends. _________
The goal for 2011 is 600 Care Packages assembled in Minneapolis, that equates to approximately $100,000.00. Again this was decided upon after seeing we could assemble 300 in 45 minutes in Pittsburgh. Those boxes had a retail value of approximately $210.00. The items we'll be sending will be comparable to what was sent last year. However, that list is subject to modification based on suggestions, request and needs. Btw, check out the NFTT website.The following list contains some of the things we have included in packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Minneapolis.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The NFTT diaries are a way for the Daily Kos community to support the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and their families. We send them packages of items they might not otherwise receive through the normal military process but that they find useful. This is a non-political diary. While we understand there are differing views on the wars and the warriors, the site gives plenty of opportunity to express those views elsewhere. Furthermore, we would hope that users do not engage with those that attempt to hijack or otherwise disrupt these diaries.We appreciate your understanding and support. Thanks!
Netroots For The TroopsTM is a project of Netroots for the Troops, Inc., a Virginia non-profit corporation. Netroots For The TroopsTM raises money for the assembly, mailing and delivery of care packages to American military in war zones, and to provide assistance to military families in the United States. Netroots For The Troops, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
