Holiday FReepmail Messages for our Troops Needed!

self ^ | 11-25-01 | patriciaruth

[patriciaruth]

FReepers! I need emails to send to our troops with the Christmas presents that are being mailed out this week to the 101st AIRBORNE. We have 200 plus presents, but only about a third of them so far have a personal message to go with them to show the troops that we care about them and are grateful for their sacrifices for our country and for putting their lives on the line for our freedom.

PLEASE FReepMail me or send an email to my personal email (below) a Dear Soldier note for the Holidays! Do it today, so I can print them out and put them in the box tomorrow.

AND if anyone could also contribute toward purchasing one or more scarves, or contribute toward the postage, just FReepmail me for my snail mail address or use www.paypal.com and pay by credit card using my personal email address (below).

So far, ABOUT 1/3 of the 200 scarves are bought or pledged, and I would like to put someone else's name, not mine on at least some of the 130 scarves yet to be adopted and given to a serviceman pulling duty on Christmas at an observation post or wherever they may be now that the 101st Airborne has been moved. Guess where? In fact, the news is reporting our troops are landing near Kandahar now.

Contributors so far are:

Audrey --7
Kathy -13
Shirley --8
Deanne --7
Lorraine --2
Lida --2
Kay--9
Sheila --2
Lynette--8
Jacqueline--2
Isabelle--5
Kim--1
Mike--unknown coming
*******
Email messages sent so far for the troops:
Carrie; Margaret; family in High Ridge, MO; Ruth in Visalia, CA; Laura
Cards coming: Gretchen; "Cool Guy" Christmas scarves URL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/571233/posts Kosovo Care Package URL http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3bd55aeb7d48.htm

[patriciaruth]

Jwalsh and Torie have agreed to divvy up any remainder of the bills that are left. If we have a major default among the pledgers, then I'll use your really nice offer to put out a general call for help among former contributors for a bit more. But we may be okay as some new pledges are still trickling in.:-)

[patriciaruth]

PING.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/

[patriciaruth]

Navy getting jealous?

*joke*

I can't load your website; it's too fancy. But I strongly recommend anyone else who can, to go there and send a message to a sailor.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I was sent it the other day. It's not mine, just one thats out there in case you get a heavy load or someone wants to do an additional one, as well as the one they send to you.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Bump!

[Gracey]

Thanks for the help. This is important.

[jwalsh07]

No problem Doc. Thats a lot less than I thought we were talking about. Good job!

[RottiBiz]

My apologies, patriciaruth. House guests and the FReepathon have taken up all of my time.

I have just written a check for $100 and will post it from Florida today.

[patriciaruth]

Wow!

I just came back on line after printing and mailing the Holiday FReepmail. You FReepers have been incredibly generous.

LOL! I felt so flush today that I bought a lot of big bags of holiday candy to mail to the troops tomorrow, mostly holiday peppermints and holiday wrapped Hershey's kisses.
I'm going to sit in front of a local grocery store and have the local patriots sign letters and cards to go with the candy. If I can manage to get up; I've been feeling a bit punk lately.....only physically, my spirits are VERY HIGH, thanks to all you wonderful people out there.

[patriciaruth]

Your mail came!

And you should have seen the incredibly beautiful Chanukah card that Yehuda made!! Gorgeous colorful lighted menorrah on the inside with the picture of the fireman handing off the flag to the soldier on the front. We'll have some jealous Christians when that beautiful card arrives at Camp Bondsteel.

Anybody lurking out there who knows a lady from Missouri that sent a check for $30, which arrived today? I can't say her name because I'm concerned about confidentiality, but I don't have it matched with a FReeper name.

[2Jedismom]

Bump!

[patriciaruth]

I've been sick the last couple of days, so I haven't gotten much done about finding what the exact charge for the silk was. I'm posting what I've done so far so you don't think I haven't done anything.

Mountaingirl donated $81 worth of dark brown silk enough for eight scarves.
Black Silk--3 bolts, enough for 200 scarves, but we got 212 out of the yardage (I think the lady at the store slipped us some extra) 2,400?
Ad for seamstresses 39.97
Thread $3, most seamstresses used their own.
Payments to seamstresses: Total581
******Virginia $210, sewed 68
******Dalyn $120, sewed 40
******Patricia $81, sewed 22 and repaired 5 cut too wide
******Jadah, $30 for 10, then donated rest of her sewing, 38 done free, total 48.
******Robin $110, sewed 34 and repaired 2 brown ones
******Annette $30 for 8 (includes postage to mail them to me)
[220 scarves-one that was lost/stolen along with 2 quality silk scarves of my own in a brown mailing pouch I had been taking around to show people while I was trying to find seamstresses and show what we needed done.]
***
Special Hallmark cards thanking soldiers for service ?$16 (still looking for the credit slip)
Ziplock baggies 9.91
Holiday decorated copier paper to copy the printed emails onto 20.83
Strapping tape 4.80
Printer ribbon 7.44
Postage 92.78
Print up 8 pictures in color at Office Max for donor of 8 scarves 10.85
Thread 3.00

Donated by me:
Mileage, gas, etc.
Use of my copier and its ink
Printer paper I already had
Baggies I already had
Burning the lights all night, and electricity from the California grid to run printer and copier.
Approximately 70 Christmas cards to put emails into (leftovers from prior years)--angel, nativity, forest in snow, whimsical snowman, holly on gold
Long distance calls tracking down silk

[patriciaruth]

Your pledge arrive in the mail today. Thank you!!

[patriciaruth]

The Seaha family sent a bunch of cards which didn't make it in time to go with the scarves, but I put them in with the Christmas candy I sent out this week to Camp Bondsteel.
I can't remember who this FReeper is to let her know her cards were very appreciated, as were the email messages she had sent previously which did go out with the scarves.

[patriciaruth]

Your mail arrived. Thank you!

Also received a check from a lady in Florida who wishes to remain anonymous.

[patriciaruth]

Final figures on the cost of the 3 bolts of black silk are

$2,475.89 - $90.08 credit, additional discount = $2385.81

Besides yourselves there are 14 pledges that haven't arrived yet. I'll check back with you Tuesday night.

[Torie]

Why don't we set Tuesday as the cutoff date? Whatever the difference is, we will cover. If you receive funds thereafter, you can redirect our contribution to the extent of the excess to FR, or if you prefer, any other worthy cause related to supporting our military, or their charities. Just a thought.

[patriciaruth]

I'd rather just assume the mail will bring the contributions promised and have you split the difference; trouble is that some of the pledges were vague and I'm not sure how much they intended to send. I can always contact you later if there is a major default by a pledger.

Private email follows.