What a day was had! Clouds, sun, rain and outrageous humidity, but together with the Public Affairs Marines at Camp LeJeune, Marine families, the local community and the MCCS, Spirit of America completed the packing of thousands of school supplies and hygiene kits heading to Iraq. More than 75 volunteers worked side by side to prepare for the shipment of goods Spirit of America had donated for the II MEF Marines deployed to Iraq. The items will be given to Iraqis as gifts of friendship from the American people. The goal is to help the Iraqi people and to build better relations between Americans and Iraqis.

The event signage outside the Exchange

By 8:00 a.m. the Marines were on site setting up tables for work stations and tents outside of the main USMC Exchange at Camp LeJeune. The skies look ominous, but the Spirit of America staff and the Marines worked diligently so that the supplies would be ready for a day of assembling. Although the official start time for the event was posted at 11:00 a.m., volunteers began arriving by 9:00 a.m. So many people with one common goal – to help the USMC help the Iraqi people. The day’s volunteers included children of all ages, spouses of deployed Marine, grandmothers, grandfathers, Boy Scouts and other patriotic Americans committed to doing whatever they could to help those in need.

With only a brief break for pizza - brought to us at a deep discount by Domino’s Pizza - and refreshments, the crew returned to work. Although we were entertained by a light show in the sky and some heavy rains, spirits were never dampened. By 5:00 p.m. the Spirit of America staff and the USMC said farewell and thank you to the last of the volunteers and finished getting boxes prepared for shipment. Although the hour was late and bodies exhausted, no one who spent that day outside the Exchange would have changed a thing. It was a day we will all remember.

A completed bag of school supplies and pencil sharpeners

A special thank you goes out to Major Neil F. Murphy for coordinating this event for us with the Marines. Upon completion of the event on Friday, Major Murphy left to spend a few days with his family in preparation for his deployment to Iraq at the end of the month. He laughingly told us that "he was pretty sure he’d see these boxes again on the other side" and also commented that he’d be "absolutely thrilled to hand a few of the school bags out to the children." This is Major Murphy’s second deployment to Iraq. He told us that he knew first hand exactly how important efforts such as Project Friendship were to their efforts to help the Iraqi people.

The Marine Corp Team

"While we faced a few hurdles with the weather, the teamwork of the volunteers during this event was tremendous. Operation friendship was truly a worthwhile and positive event and the Spirit of America volunteers should be commended for the hard work they do to promote a positive American image in Iraq." 1stLt Clark D. Carpenter, USMC.
We also must thank the Marine Corps team that worked diligently throughout the day and the MCX Marine Corps Exchange for graciously allowed us to set up "camp" outside the main Exchange entrance. The MCX Marine Corps Exchange staff provided our tables, chairs, supplies and responded to our every need throughout the event.

A break for Dominos

Here are a few comments from the Spirit of America staff that participated in the event:

"It was wonderful to see so many committed volunteers taking time out of their lives to become involved in, and celebrate, the good that is being done to help secure a future of freedom and peace for Iraq"

- Michele Redmond

“How wonderful to participate in something as satisfying as Project Friendship. The Marines and SoA volunteers were terrific. I was overwhelmed.”
Tara Dooley

“It is heartwarming to see so many volunteers, of all ages, band together to assemble these much needed school supply kits for the children in Iraq.”
Peggy Findley

“It always warms my heart to work with the troops and their families. The sincere spirit, enthusiasm and sense of sacrifice are evident and felt by all. This is even more true when the work has a concrete purpose and result, as in the school supplies to children in Iraq, rather than work on a policy issue." Tamara Quinn

 

The team hard at work 

Michele Redmond, Project Director, is now working with our representatives with FedEx to get the packages to the Marines in Iraq. As soon as we have an update, well be sure to make a blog post.

Please know that the Back to School Project, Project Friendship, is an ongoing Spirit of America project. Your continued financial support will enable us to continue helping the Marines make a difference in the life of an Iraqi child. www.spiritofamerica.net/give. Make sure to note “Project Friendship” or “Back to School” when making a donation.

Here’s an excerpt from the local paper, the Jacksonville Daily News: Reaching the good people – Excerpt from the Jacksonville

Daily News
July 15, 2005

There were boxes everywhere, stuffed with pencils and markers made with every color in the rainbow. Reams of paper and packages of pens were stacked next to boxes of hygiene supplies. All of it was getting packed in individual kits and readied to ship overseas so Iraqi children can have something when they go back to school.

All afternoon Thursday, a cadre of volunteers worked through the heat outside the exchange aboard Camp Lejeune, readying thousands of kits. It's a gesture that shows the compassion and commitment the American people have in helping Iraq become a better place, said Sheri Lapan, the vice president of communications for Spirit of America, the nonprofit group that organized the event.

Organizers said they will be shipping 7,200 individual kits - filled with pencils, pens, markers, paper, sharpeners and glue - and 1,000 hygiene kits filled with toothpaste and toothbrushes, floss, shampoo and soap. The kits will go to two units, the 5th Civil Affairs Group in Al Anbar province and Regimental Combat Team 8, which is renovating three schools near war-torn Fallujah.

It's difficult to think about Iraq without conjuring images of armed insurgents, car bombs and beheadings. But Lapan, whose husband is in Iraq right now, said this gesture is evidence of the struggle to make it better.

"He tells me there are children who come out and greet them in the street and say 'Thank you,' " she said. "There's more of the good people than the bad people."

Nick Hill, 12, of Hubert, who came out with his Boy Scout troop to help build the kits, said he wants to help kids his age in Iraq.

"It feels really good to me because I get to do something for somebody in another country," he said. "It helps me appreciate what I have at home."

 

A pair of committed volunteers

                    الأمين العام
          قاسم خشاب عبد الرضا الركابي
عضو النادي العربي لتقنية المعلومات والإعلام
 عضو اتحاد الصحفيين العراقيين في المهجر
      عضو اتحاد كتاب الإنترنت العرب

        مع تحياتنا
وتمنياتنا لكم بالموفقية لنا بالنجاح
      مجلس الأمانة العامة
         المكتب الرئيسي
      شبكة إعلام الشموس
          الأمين العام
 قاسم خشاب عبد الرضا الركابي