Friday, April 18, 2008

Community sends Girl Scout Cookies to troops

It’s reasonable to think servicemembers deployed the world over might be missing Girl Scout cookies again this year, but that’s not necessarily the case.

More than 150 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines soon will enjoy Girl Scout cookies and other goodies, thanks to the Thank You Foundation and several members of the greater Cincinnati community.

“This was a real community effort,” said John Guinn, president and founder of the Thank You Foundation. “Students from St. Margaret of York [School] collected items, and several Girl Scout troops donated cookies. Senior citizens from the Lebanon Country Manor helped pack up the boxes.”

Seventh-graders at St. Margaret of York in Loveland, Ohio, spent two weeks last month collecting care package items for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Our U.S. troops in Iraq have sacrificed so much for our country’s freedom, so it was a wonderful feeling for me to have the opportunity to be able to give back to them,” said Marisa Pike, one of the students who participated. “It’s great to be part of a school that encourages students to serve others in their need.”

Her classmates agreed the project has given them a new appreciation and perspective for the sacrifices servicemembers make, as well as the importance of volunteering.

“This project really helped me understand that one person can really make a difference,” said Sarah Wandtke, also a seventh-grader. “It feels really great to know you are helping someone. I hope we can do this again next year.”

In addition to the items the school collected, Girl Scout Troop 8238 in Landen, Ohio, donated 300 boxes of cookies, and Troop 41865 of Bethany School in Glendale, Ohio, added at least another 50 boxes, Guinn said.

Kim Robinson, a Lebanon Country Manor employee, has a son and son-in-law in Iraq. She, along with the seniors from the manor and her daughter and daughter-in-law, helped pack the boxes for the foundation.

“I know personally what it means to the men and women serving over there to get these packages from home,” Robinson said. “We try to do all we can to let them know they are loved and in our thoughts and prayers.”

Over the last several months, the Thank You Foundation has sent several hundred care packages to troops and has worked with other groups in the Cincinnati area to send clothing, school supplies and toys to children in Iraq.