If you’ve been following the HSBG and Valley Homeschoolers’ message boards, you know that we have decided to "adopt" Gina’s son Ricky, soldier serving in Iraq, and his unit. I’ve cobbled together the pertinent information concerning this project.
UPDATE: We had a great turnout on July 13th and filled 5 - 6 boxes. Everyone was so generous. Thank you! Ricky will let Gina (mom) know when the boxes arrive. and as soon as we get pictures, we will share them with you!
It started with this:
Our own Gina Budine’s son, Ricky, is currently serving in Iraq. She sent the following letter to Tamara. I’ve attached his picture. ... is there anyone that can help Gina’s boy with this seemingly, hopefully, simple request?
My son is currently in Iraq and his only request has been for DVD copies of the Phillies games~he misses them terribly. Now, I have been driving myself crazy to try and get this for him without having to invest a fortune in a DVR system and pay membership fees. I was wondering if I could post a quick note asking if there is anyone out there that would do this for my son (I could buy the DVD's, of course). If not, that is okay too. I'm just trying to think of alternative ways or ask around.
Tam spoke with Gina Budine, Ricky’s mom, the other day. The young men & women are living in next to primitive conditions. In fact, they don’t even have refrigerators in their quarters & they’re going to be there for a full year! They’re forced to purchase them. ...really upset to hear that. Isn’t it enough that they’re putting their very lives on the line? Our country couldn’t even provide them with refrigerators in the middle of a desert? Don’t even get me started about air conditioners; when the average temperature during the summer is 110 - 120 degrees. And according to Gina, they work long, long days. When he calls home, he’s so exhausted, he can barely speak.
When Gina was on the phone with her boy, she heard him give his phone card to another soldier. He was sharing his minutes, as precious as they are to him. That says a lot about the character of this young man. We, as homeschoolers, should be really, really proud to have such a man represent us.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Look for more opportunities to to fill a box at different group activities -- bowling, matinees, parkdays... We really want to keep the momentum going.
International phone cards top the list of what these guys need. Even though they say 550 minutes, after the fees, the soldiers only end up with 113. We had quite the conversation about AT&T not pitching in for these guys, but, that’s a rant for another day. If you’d like to purchase one, go to:
bravenet.com