For those of you last minute givers who want to "give a little back", I pass this on from my brother (USMA 1967).
He's working with CAUSE to give the soldiers in Walter Reed hospital a bit of Christmas cheer. All contributions cheerfully accepted!
In his own words.
Sending you a picture of one of Santa's elfs taking out the first sleigh load of goodies from the CAUSE storage unit enroute to Walter Reed. We will be putting together a Holiday goodie bag/Stocking filled with phone cards, writing materials, hand held games, candy, etc.etc. and passing them out Christmas morning at a breakfast for 200 of our wounded men and women at the Malone House/Walter Reed.
And unfortunately this is only scratching the surface at the hospital.
So this is a pitch for those on your mailing list out there. Would greatly appreciate it if you could. in the spirit of Christmas send this out to as many folks as possible.
CAUSE can be found on the Walter Reed home page by clicking the DONATIONS box. http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/
Or at http://www.cause-usa.org
It is a tax deductable 510(c)(3) organization and accepts PayPal in addition to other types of funds. It was established by four of my West Point classmates in March 2003 and has been working hard for those in Walter Reed ever since. There is no overhead so if a dollar is contributed all of that dollar goes to the troops in Walter Reed.
Thanks in advance for any and all contributions.
Merry Christmas and Blessings to All.
bob
Well... you know they can use a bit of Christmas cheer... it's not too late!
Here's a report on what they just accomplished.
C-DEL stands for Cause Digital Entertainment Library
OEF/OIR stands for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqui Freedom.
C-DEL C-DEL is enjoying the blessings of the season with many new volunteers signing up and many donated items pouring in. Merrill Lynch employees in Boca Raton collected enough items at their office Christmas party to fill seven large boxes. Clifton Elementary School in Virginia and a Florida Knights of Columbus chapter together donated more than 200 DVDs. And Operation Recuperation, a volunteer effort organized by Mologne House front desk manager Cliff Stanback, donates dozens of DVDs and videogames every month and many more during the holidays.
SPA DAYS Spa days grew in number and offerings. On October 15th, stylists from Hair Impressions in Mt. Airy, MD, organized a mini-spa day and treated soldiers to hair cuts and homemade goodies. On December 6th, 21 staff members from Easel Hair Salon in Washington, DC, and Tranquility Day Spa in Manassas, VA, swooped into the Molgone House laden with boxes of holiday treats and preceded to cut lots of hair, polish a bunch of fingernails, and knead many aching muscles. While soldiers and family members were getting beauty treatments, photographer Irene Owsley began snapping holiday family photos and Jana Leigh serenaded everyone with Christmas carols.
GIFT PACKS The gift pack team did double duty on Veteran's Day. In addition to 50+ gift packs delivered to inpatients at the hospital, an equal number were handed out to outpatients during the Veteran's Day library shift. Cause will be delivering over 100 gift packs on December 25th at a Christmas breakfast hosted by the Mologne House staff.
NEW IN 2007 The New Year will usher in two new Cause programs: Sunday brunches, which will take place on the first Sunday of the month starting in February, and videogame tournaments, which will take place on the last Sunday of the month starting in January. Volunteers and sponsors are needed for both events. If you would like to participate, e-mail info@cause-usa.org or call Barbara Lau at 202 965 0693.
Also coming up in 2007: the expansion of the C-DEL to other military medical centers, and the possibility of a Friday library team at WRAMC thanks to the efforts of Charles Burnett. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio is the first target site for our next library; a trip to BAMC is scheduled for February.
FRIENDS OF CAUSE Dedicated Cause supporters in Nebraska, dubbing themselves the Nebraska Friends of Cause, have launched several fundraising events on our behalf, with chapters in Lincoln and Omaha already raising more than $20,000. Other folks who have opened up their hearts and checkbooks during this holiday season include the HP Niners, a group of women golfers in Florida; an American Legion Post in New Jersey; a Blue Star Mothers of America chapter in Pennsylvania; and local-area school kids and scout troops.
WRAMC PATIENT UPDATE As of December 15, 2006, there were 62 OIF/OEF inpatients at WRAMC and approximately 650 outpatients. Average stay for severely injured patients is 250 days, with the number of outpatients recuperating at WRAMC for more than a year in the 60-70 range, down from about 100 earlier this year.
Interested in volunteering? E-mail info@cause-usa.org. Click to subscribe or unsubscribe to c-news & notes.
