Update: jnhobbs has issued a challenge. A dollar for every recommendation. Get reccing!!!
Good afternoon Kossacks. I am here to ask you to open your hearts and your wallets to support Netroots for the Troops. I know that we are facing hard economic times, but we still have about 160,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I suspect many of these troops are a lot like blue jersey dad was 40 years ago. These are men and women from tough circumstances who are trying to serve their country and get ahead in life. Follow me below the fold to hear his story.
Blue jersey dad came from a very blue collar family in northern New Jersey. His dad was a house painter who had owned and lost a hardware store during the Great Depression. His mom cleaned houses. Dad was the youngest of four kids, and it was clear at an early age that dad was a smart kid. At 15, dad's high school guidance counselor said that he was ready for college, but, of course, his parents did not have the money to pay for tuition. Dad had a rather checkered high school career, but he earned his diploma, went to work, and began to take classes part-time at the old Columbia University School of the Arts. He wanted to be a documentary film-maker.
In the mid-60s, full-time students (hello Dick Cheney) were deferred from the draft, but part-time students were not. In 1964, dad received his letter from President Johnson. When he was called in for his physical, he decided to volunteer for the Air Force. Dad served four years as a military pay and travel accountant. He wasn't a hero, and he never saw combat. He was just a kid who wanted to go to college, serve his country, and improve his life. This story does have a happy ending. Dad used to GI bill to go to college, went on to get a PhD, and has had a great career as an archaeologist.
Today's military is made up of men and women who volunteered to serve their country. Many, like blue jersey dad, are just looking to get ahead in life. Others were moved to serve their country after 9/11. Here is the story of the brother of an old friend of mine from Long Island. He was a Jesuit priest who became a military chaplain after 9/11 and is now serving with the Long Knives guarding the border in Iraq.
Please help to make the lives of these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines a little more pleasant. Spooky is asking you to help:
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact TexDem or VeloVixen if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact politik if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print them out and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon. If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
_____________________
*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- Language translation books or CDs (Rosetta Stone as an example)
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.
Update: jnhobbs has pledged a dollar for every recommendation. Many, many thanks