Soldier Receives 400,000th Care Package on Christmas Day
Surrounded by cheering comrades on Christmas Day, Specialist Harry Colon of the the 133rd Transportation Battalion out of Brooklyn, New York was surprised to learn that he was the recipient of Operation Gratitude's 400,000th Care Package. At Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, WPIX-New York Reporters Marvin Scott and Jill Nicolini, with their cameraman Dave Kimmel, captured and broadcast the exciting moment on TV. Click here to see the entire event unfold: 400,000th Package
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Letter Writing Contest The Operation Gratitude online "Letters to Our Troops" Contest, sponsored by Rogers Family Co., and hosted by Strutta.com was a huge success! Close to 1000 letters were submitted, and according to the volunteer screeners, Ann Hamilton and Robert Bender, "These were the most beautiful and heartfelt letters we've ever received."
The winners, selected in a random drawing, and their chosen schools/charities to receive the generous cash donations from Rogers Family Co. were:
Grand Prize - Deborah Bright
Split Donation: La Crescenta Elementary ($1000)
Girls Scouts Mt. Wilson Vista Council ($1000)
2nd Prize - Theresa Preiser
School for Donation: Cudahy Middle School ($1000)
3rd Prize - Christine McNair
School for Donation: Mother of Good Counsel ($500)
Congratulations to all the winners!!! And many thanks to every participant in the contest--your letters were fantastic and have been sent out in the care packages.
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The Stage is Set for 2009! As planned, ~70,000 Holiday Packages were assembled during the recent Drive; almost 60,000 have been shipped so far. We will continue to mail the remaining 10,000 packages through March.
Postage Rates will increase again on January 18, so our costs this year will increase to $11 per package. Despite the economic challenges in 2008, we were able to meet our budget needs by year-end thanks to YOUR GENEROSITY! With your kind support, we look forward to similar success in 2009! Financial Donations by check or credit card are welcome and needed year round.
The Patriotic Drive will run April through June; the Schedule is posted on our website. Product donations will be accepted April 1 through May 5.
The Holiday Drive will run October through December. Mark your calendars now for our most remarkable event ever on December 12, 2009: Our 500,000th...Half-Millionth Care Package!
We are working on some great new programs and events this year--watch for details soon! |
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The Troops Speak:
 "My Soldiers and I just recieved your "Operation Gratitude" care packages. I can't explain how grateful we all are and how it changed our Christmas. We were in the middle of moving from one Camp to another. We arrived here on December 22nd and had absolutley no communications during Christmas day to call back home; but on Christmas Eve, my Soldiers received your care packages, and they all had a smile from ear to ear. I could see that the packages made their Christmas complete. The items you pack in there are above and beyond. To all of you at Operation Gratitude on behalf of my unit, I want to Thank You for everything you do for us. You keep us going and give us the reason and purpose of why we are here: to fight for the freedom of great Americans like all of you at Operation Gratitude. Sincerely Sergeant First Class J.M." | |
