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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Sep 6, 2008 - 11:54:07 AM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Courtesy image. |
ENCINO, CA. - Surrounded by more than 500 cheering volunteers, the sister of a Marine was surprised to learn that she was packing the 350,000th Care Package on the Operation Gratitude Assembly Line at the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, CA. during the 2008 Memorial Day Weekend.
"This package represents the extraordinary generosity and efforts of our supporters--American Citizens from every state of this great nation," exclaimed founder, Carolyn Blashek. "Their donations of time, Wish List items and funds for postage have enabled us to send more than 2.8 Million pounds of product and over 17 Million individual items to our brave men and women fighting on the front lines" she stated.
Blashek, surrounded by the 70 "Hard Corps" Volunteers who supervise the production and Assembly Line operations, paid special tribute to our fallen Warriors and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice. She thanked the more than 300 Corporate Friends and Sponsors who have donated items by the pallet load, and acknowledged the dedicated and cooperative efforts of other grass-roots, all-volunteer organizations such as Give 2 The Troops and Treat the Troops (The Cookie Lady) that have similarly supported our Military for many years.
"We congratulate the great folks at Move America Forward on their very successful one day troop support fundraiser" declared Bill Van Trump, Operation Gratitude's Volunteer Director of Development, but he added, "We are most proud of the tens of thousands of Operation Gratitude volunteers across the country who, week after week, month after month, year after year since the Iraq War started in March 2003, have toiled tirelessly to ensure that every Service Member deployed overseas knows they are always foremost on our minds and will never be forgotten."
To culminate the organization's record-breaking Patriotic Drive, Volunteer Director of Operations, Charlie Othold, announced that Operation Gratitude and Chrysler LLC would present a specially designed 2008 Jeep Liberty to SPC Michael "Shaun" Gallagher on July 1 at Ft. Lewis, Washington.
"Carolyn (Blashek) and I were honored to travel to Iraq earlier this year to personally hand our 300,000th Care Package to SPC Gallagher at Camp Warhorse in Baquoba," recalled Othold. "We are thrilled that he and his comrades have returned home safely and that we can give him this appropriately named vehicle, the Jeep Liberty, in time to celebrate America's Independence Day on July 4th" he added.
Operation Gratitude will send its 400,000th Care Package on December 13, 2008 during the organization's Annual Holiday Drive.
Media are invited to attend the Operation Gratitude Presentation Ceremony on July 1 at Ft. Lewis, Washington at 0900. For details and passes, please contact Catherine Caruso in the Ft. Lewis Public Affairs Office 253-967-0147. For information or questions about Operation Gratitude, contact cblashek@aol.com ; 818-406-5057 or the InfoLine: 818-909-0039
About Operation Gratitude
Operation Gratitude ( www.operationgratitude.com ) is the California- based 501 (c) (3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization that sends care packages of snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and on military ships at sea. Its mission is to lift morale, bring a smile to a service member's face and to express to all troops the appreciation and support of the American people. Operation Gratitude receives the names of thousands of troops from commanders in the field who see the positive impact of care packages on their troops' morale. The organization sends 100,000+ care packages every year during two major campaigns: A Patriotic Drive in May and a Holiday Drive in the Fall. For safety and security, all assembling of packages occurs at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California. All donated funds are used to pay for production, shipping and communication expenses only; no funds are expended on salaries, marketing or fundraising campaigns. Since its inception in March, 2003, Operation Gratitude has shipped more than 350,000 packages to American troops deployed overseas
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