A message from Marcia:
A big Thank you to everyone who helped make our Operation Aces High Poker Run a success. Kat has put some pictures up on the Blog and I expect a video to be up soon.
Special thanks go out to American Legion Post 370 in Overland Park, the Legion Riders from post 370, Ronda Gray, our chair-person and the other hard-working members on the committee. Additional thanks go out to Soldiers’ Angels and Patti for donating the meat for the BBQ and prizes for Low hand and the 50/50 drawing the ALR sponsored. There is much talent in our organization, not only is Debby Frerichs our donations VP a dedicated volunteer, she and her BBQ team the “Flamin Yawns” are BBQ champs.
Their pork placed 1st at the BBQ contest held in Wichita earlier in the weekend and we all were lucky enough to get to enjoy it. Thanks to the Hy-Vee grocery stores in Lenexa and at 95th and Quivira in Overland Park for donating potato chips and to all of you who baked or donated goodies, they were tasty.
We also need to thank a couple of special heroes- Debby’s medic, recently returned from Afghanistan and Master Chief Larry, recently returned from Iraq who donated the flags and certificates that were the high hand prize, and silent auction item respectively. And a special angel Sheryl, from New Jersey who helped coordinate with Master Chief Larry to get the flag.
This fundraiser shows how a group of people with different talents can come together for a common cause to make a difference and I am honored to have had the chance to work with you all.There were many wonderful moments Sunday. The top two for me were when one of the Legion Riders, Doug, surprised Ronda with $1200.00 that he and his girlfriend had collected from friends, family, and co-workers, being easily prone to tears that gesture brought some happy ones for me.
The second was at the very end when the mom of a recently deployed hero came up and gave me a hug, with tears in her eyes. She’d won low hand and was thrilled with the prize; a Soldiers’ Angels tote bag stuffed with goodies including a blanket, t-shirt, coffee mug, and magnet, her husband also took home a couple of the drawing prizes. She told me that, “God had blessed this day” and that tomorrow was her birthday. Nothing beats a hug from a soldier’s mom and it was a gift to know we’d made that day special for her. That alone made the day a success.
God Bless you all and God Bless our troops!
Soldiers' Angels received this message June 5, 2007:
My Husband Was Wounded
Your title says it all, you truely are angels. My husband was injured and in the hospital with nothing but a hospital issued gown and a ziploc bag for his personal belongings. On his last day there before being transported to another hospital one of the nurses gave him one of your backpacks. He was floored. He called me all excited because he finally had a set of clothes, some shoes on his feet and something to carrying his belongings in. I cannot put into words the morale boost that he received from your gesture. Thank you very much!!
Sincerly,
Amy
You can see pictures here. This is a video about what a backpack is, how it is used and some messages from other wounded heroes. This is the page that gives an outline of our project and more information on backpacks.
If you would like to join Soldiers' Angels in supporting our wounded heroes with First Response Back Packs, you can donate to Soldiers' Angels directly or go to the Angel Store and purchase a back pack to be sent to "Any Wounded Soldier".
You can write a personal message to our heroes. The cost is $55.00/back pack (includes packing, shipping and handling), but the value is priceless.
There are many other great ways to support our troops including writing letters, sending care packages and adopting a soldier (or two) of your own. You can find out more by going to Soldiers' Angels.
If you want to participate directly with Soldiers' Angels in Kansas City, please email our team at kcsoldiersangelsmo1@gmail.com.
- May no soldier go unloved
Soldiers' Angels: Adopt a Soldier
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