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Hello faithful friends and supporters!
April is showering us with many exciting happenings here at Cypress Cares, and we continue to stay busy. March was a busy month for us as well! We had many donations and several events of note.
We received some special handmade cards from the American Heritage Girls Explorers Troop 2928. A big thank you to Sydney, Helen, Erika, Anne, Paloma and Marietta for the cards. Also, we received a healthy helping of tuna, nuts, baby wipes, jerky and more from the Women's Council of Realtors District C. Thank you, Lois Malone for spearheading this donation!
Many of our troops will be happy to see the all-time favorite Girl Scout cookies in their boxes this month! We received three cases from Marine LCpl Michael LaGesse, who wanted to ensure that the cookies were sent to deployed troops. Thank you, Juli Rigdon for making sure that the cookies got to Cypress Cares! We also received cookies from Senior Girl Scout troop 5660, Girl Scout troop 13514 and Cadet troop 14252.
We had several box packing events to note. Langham Creek HS Teen Leadership class collected items from students and filled 20 care packages. Crossbridge Church helped pack 82 boxes and Saint Timothy Lutheran Church 40 boxes. We also shipped more than 90 cases of Girl Scout cookies.
We are looking ahead to the Third Annual Cypress Cares Golf tournament. We are still open to as many sponsors as are interested, and it looks like our playing field will be FULL at 144 golfers. Thanks to sponsorships from local individuals and business, we have a full slate of 11 teams of Veterans playing this year. We will also have a silent auction and a guest speaker. Come join us, it's going to be a great time!
It's time to nominate new leaders for our Board of Directors. Raquel will continue to act as Executive Director of Cypress Cares but according to our Articles of Incorporation, our Board may only hold their positions for two (2) years. We are seeking nominations for Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary. Mr. Tom Zahn is currently nominated for the position of Treasurer. If you are interested in helping out in a lead role within our organization, or would like to nominate someone, please send Raquel a message. We will announce those who are nominated in our May newsletter and will hold a vote at a Board meeting later in May, likely about May 17. Anyone interested in taking on one of these roles is welcomed and encouraged to let us know.
Just a reminder, there will be NO box packing events in August or September this year. We've been working hard and will use that time to take a break, reconnect with our families and get the next school year started off right. We are still in need of a location for our October and December events. If you have an idea where we can hold either of these events, please let us know.
Enjoy the Spring flowers, and stay cool in the heat!
The Cypress Cares Team |
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Volunteer Corner | |
Our spotlight volunteer this month is Langham Creek High School Sophomore David Carey.
David plays soccer for both the high school and Texas United Football Club team, as well as running cross country. He is involved in Young Life and FCA. The middle of three children, David has one older brother and a younger sister.
He got became involved with Cypress Cares because his father, both of his grandfathers and many other relatives have served in the US military. He enjoys helping to support the men and women who serve our country.
After high school, David is considering a career in law.
Thank you David for being involved with Cypress Cares! |
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Save the Date....upcoming events | |
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!
April 27, 2012, 2:00PM
3rd Annual Cypress Cares Golf Tournament
Gleannloch Pines Golf Club
Spring, TX
Our big annual fund raising event. Please consider participating in or sponsoring this event. Proceeds raised will pay for the majority of our shipping expenses over the next year. Click here to be directed to our dedicated tournament website.
May 12, 2012, 11:00AM
Box Packing
Morning Glory Ranch, Waller
Our first box packing in the Waller area, this one will be at a local horse ranch instead of a church. We are hoping to get more Tomball and Waller area residents involved in this event. LOTS of goodies will be needed as we hope to fill 100 boxes (2 to each of the addressees on our list).
May 19, 2012, 11:00AM
Box Packing
Prince of Peace Catholic Community
Join us for this big box packing event; everyone is welcome. Last year this event produced over 400 care packages for our troops and we're hoping for another great shipment this year. Check out our website for a list of suggested items to bring for our pacakges. |
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Quick Links for our Website
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Feedback from the Frontlines....
the reason we serve! |  | |
To the thoughtful patriots of Cypress Cares:
On behalf of the Command Group and all the Soldiers of 504th BSB, I want to extend our sincere gratitude for the wonderful care packages you sent us. Like many have said before, it's the little things that make all the difference. Receiving mail and sharing care packages amongst each other are often the highlight of the Soldier's week.
Our Soldiers are doing great things here on the ground and the morale continues to remain high, no doubt due to the unrelenting support of family, friends and even strangers back home. As the unit prepares to redeploy to Fort Hood in a few months, I am confident all of our Soldiers will return home proud of what they have accomplished here.
Please know how much yur generosity and support means to us. One of the Army values we preach and live by is Selfless Service and you no doubt have demonstrated that to us.
Gratefully,
LTC Michael B.
Deputy Commander
504th BSB, US Army |
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Freedom is Not Free
by Clayton Marshall, Cypress Ranch HS | |
Freedom is not free. This statement is true both literally and metaphorically. From the lives lost to the dollars spent, freedom is not free.
American would not be able to sleep soundly without the sacrifice of thousands to protect millions. As the saying goes, "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a Veteran." From Colonial America to Iwo Jima to Iraq, brave souls have fought and died for what America believes in. In the end, freedom is not free.
Our mighty Army would be but a mob of unarmed, untrained, and un-uniformed men and women were it not for taxes. The taxes paid on everything from a $0.75 pack of gum to a $4,000,000 mansion in the Rocky Mountains fuel our military. Our tax dollars buy our armed forces weapons, ammunition, uniforms, vehicles; you name it, and they have bought it. In the end, freedom is not free.
We would not be able to pay our taxes to fund our armed forces were it not for American pride and ingenuity. The backbone of our nation is the knowledge that we live in the world's greatest nation and have the world's greatest military. Were it not for America's greatness, we would not have factories and office buildings to work in to earn money to make purchases to pay taxes to train troops to be outfitted to be shipped to anywhere there is tyranny, and stop it. In the end, freedom is not free.
With all of the evil in the world, there is no wonder why we need a military of such greatness, but without freedom, our military would become a world evil. Freedom starts at home, but no, freedom is not free.
(Clayton's essay was given Honorable Mention in our essay contest this year.) | |
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