The Sky Angel Santa ...
‘Twas the beginning of August and Santa’s chief elf better known as The Sky Angel was in charge of the Southern workshop. Knowing the time required for Santa’s sleigh to reach Afghanistan, The Sky Angel started to network for the needed donations to make “Mail Call for Our Heroes 2010” a success, for a US Army 101st Airborne Unit, known as “The Gators”. There are more members in this unit than she had ever done a project for in the past and knew it would be necessary to collect at least $3800 US dollars to purchase each of them a calling card for the holidays.
The Sky Angel shopping for our valiant heroes for the holidays ...
When the email call arrived at the Pacific Northwest workshop, chief elf Angel 2 went into action planning a fundraiser for the donations needed in this project and to support 5 other deployed units The Sky Angel has been supporting. Angel 2 contacted Cindy Brown the manager of The Valley Tavern in Port Hadlock, who along with the owners Chuck & Karen Russell generously agreed to host the Fundraiser. Cindy jumped in to help plan the fundraiser, cooking all the food for the actual event and personally donating most of it. Meanwhile The Sky Angel continued to rally for donations all over the world both for monetary and actual items to be included in the care packages, rallied to get schools involved with making cards for the troops, spoke at a church near the Southern Workshop, and participated in a book signing with author Steve Flairty, who featured The Sky Angel in his latest book “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes 2”.
a bit of "home" for our valiant heroes for the holidays ...
The original time line to get the calling cards in time for the holidays was to have them shipped to Afghanistan by October 10th (because of the length of time it takes for Santa’s Sleigh to reach The Gators), but for various reasons the shipment could not go out until the beginning of November. The initial donations received exceeded the “Mail Call for Our Heroes” project goal, even with extra expenses not previously foreseen. The Sky Angel took care of the calling cards and accompanying Christmas cards from various sources, including the ones she wrote herself.
"Mail Call for Our Heroes" calling cards for "The Gators" of the 101st Airborne ...
Angel 2 concentrated on the Fundraiser and took to the streets passing out fliers for the Fundraiser, collecting items for the silent auction to be held at the Fundraiser, including many handmade items from family and friends, and email networking. Angel 2 even went to the local gun store, after her husband planted a seed in her head to do so, and was received with open arms, leaving with many donations. Many were skeptical that these would sell at the Fundraiser but in reality they were the most heavily bid on items. The Sky Angel & Angel 2 as well as their family members and friends were all on site during the Fund Raiser and Angel 2 personally managed the silent auction.
Posterboard made by Angel 2 for Fundraiser ...
The Pacific Northwest Workshop was now looking like a disaster zone, with Fundraiser paperwork, Christmas cards, and care package donations. Angel 2 set about finishing up the Fundraiser paperwork and personally wrote over 200 Christmas Cards, then packaged up all the Christmas cards and care package donations, shipping them to the Sky Angel at the Southern Workshop for inclusion in the care packages along with all the other cards and goodies collected.
The remaining funds from “Mail Call for Our Heroes” project were added to the Pacific Northwest Fundraiser proceeds, leaving a generous allotment to fund Holiday care packages for “The Gators” and the other 5 units. The Sky Angel enlisted the help of one of Santa’s Elves with a pickup truck and purchased a Christmas tree for each unit and all the decorations to put on them. By this time the Southern Workshop was looking like a cyclone went through it, with Christmas trees, ornaments, Christmas cards, and care package contents spread everywhere. The push was on to finish off the care packages and have them on the sleigh by the first part of November in order for Santa’s sleigh to arrive on time. Knowing she had to leave in a few days to get back to work, The Sky Angel worked furiously to get the job done of putting together the care packages and hand writing the many remaining Christmas cards to accompany them 1 1/2 days before returning to the friendly skies. Just as the packages were loaded onto the sleigh, an email request came asking for help with a Marine unit in Afghanistan. When the Sky Angel communicated with that particular Marine (Marcus), she was told he was more concerned about his buddies in the 3/5 Marines, Lima Co. in Afghanistan, who had suffered tremendous casualties and needing a moral booster Sky Angel style.
Care package Sky Angel & Tigger style ... whooo whoo who!!
The Sky Angel immediately asked for help from her network of elves, and received a generous donation which enabled her to spring into action and quickly purchase a Christmas tree, all the decorations, Christmas cards and the traditional care package items for the entire 3/5 Marine Lima Company. The Sky Angel also knew that Marcus’ Marine Unit (MWHS) probably needed a morale boost too, so she matched the donation given for the 3/5 Marines with donations from the fund raiser and her own wallet, sending Marcus and his MWHS Marine unit a Christmas tree, decorations, and whipped up one giant care package for them as well.
- Marcus and his Marines are smiling from the efforts of The Sky Angel and all her angels …
The Sky Angel then contacted Marcel Rust of the Rust Family, who sponsors the http://adoptahero.us website, who is working to get every member of the 3/5 Marines in all the different companies adopted for the Holidays and the remainder of their deployments. This whirl wind operation was completed in a little over one day for our Marines, with the packages being loaded onto the sleigh as The Sky Angel was heading to the airport, to go back to work.
During the course of The Sky Angel’s networking she came across a sweet lady in Alabama who is the mother of one of The Sky Angel’s past adoptees. As it turns out Clara loves to bake, and she has personally taken on the mission of making sure all of The Sky Angel’s Adopted Units have homemade cookies for the Holiday’s. One contact made an entire case of special unscented soap and donated it to the care packages. Another contact purchased hundreds of back-scratcher’s The Sky Angel requested, even covering all the shipping too, as the sleigh was already full and ready to depart.
- Thanks so much for your donations to help deliver smiles to our heroes!!!
Thanks to The Sky Angel, Angel 2, their family & friends, and many very generous big-hearted individuals, the following deployed men and women as well as hundreds of others in their units will have brighter Holiday’s.
(Senior Chief David Lally, Combat Surgical Hospital / Afghanistan)
(Sgt. Morgan Koski, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry / US Army / Iraq)
(Sgt. Will Shawl, B Co. 1-21 IN Battalion / US Army /Iraq)
(1st Sgt Harold Lucas, 3/5 Marines Lima Co / US Marines /Afghanistan)
(Lt. John Paszterko, 1-502 IN 2 Battalion 101st Airborne / US Army / Afghanistan)
(Spc. Ryan Drahman, G-101 Aviation Regiment / US Army / Afghanistan)
(Spc. AJ Kirkendall, TF Brastogne / COP Monti / US Army /Afghanistan)
(MSgt Marcus Dawson, MWHS-3 Det A / US Marines / Afghanistan)
HAPPY HOLIDAY’S AND THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THOSE WHO DO SERVE !
Angel 2
For those of you on Facebook, PLEASE change your profile picture to a Superhero as a virtual Valentine to our Veteran’s and Active Military Personnel. They need our support and this is a way to show them, without it costing a penny! It is so great to see the support of my innovative idea & I cannot thank you enough for participating! Please be sure to repost why you are changing your photo and ask your friends to do the same. 
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