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OPERATION BACK-PACK TUCSON
Article &
Photos by Alan Edwards
VFW Post and
Auxiliaries 10188 and 549 partnered together to sponsor Operation
Back-Pack in Tucson. This event is one of several programs
sponsored by “Operation Homefront”. Chapter President Margy
Bons asked Auxiliary 10188 Veterans and Family Support
Chairman Kim Sloan to coordinate a facility and volunteers
for the Tucson Back-Pack event. When asked if the event could be
held at Post-549, Commander E. Wendell Hague and President
M ‘Ronnie’ Heinemann immediately said yes. This made Back-Pack
pickup easy for military families and especially those stationed at
Davis Mothan AFB; and Air Guard soldiers that were drilling that
weekend.
Operation Back-Pack is intended primarily for kids of
active duty military families in enlisted ranks E-6 and below, but
no family was turned away. Objective is for all military kids to
begin school with their Back-Packs stuffed with school supplies. All
such supplies are donated by Operation Homefront and Dollar Tree
Stores in Phoenix. Operation Homefront staff does the purchasing,
organizing and collection of school supplies; while VFW/Auxiliaries
provided the facility and volunteers. Altogether an excellent
example of great teamwork!
By all measures the Back-Pack event was most successful.
140 fully-stuffed Back-Packs were given-out to military Kids over
the event’s 6-hour time slot (not counting Back-Packs given out at
Phoenix the previous week, or the ones that will given out next week
in Yuma). VFW and Auxiliary volunteers were on hand to ensure that
supplies were organized and the parade of guests flowed smoothly.
All VFW volunteers can take a lot of satisfaction in
this one, and it was a lot of fun also (those kids were great!)
For more information about Operation Home Front programs
in Arizona go to
http://www.operationhomefront.net/arizona For more information
about VFW-Auxiliary activities contact Auxiliary-10188 Veterans and
Family Support Chairman Kim Sloan.
VFW Post-549
Commander E. Wendell Hague with Auxiliary-549 President, and
Auxiliary Department Vice President, Mary ‘Ronnie’ Heinemann
at ‘Operation Back-Pack’ held at VFW-549 in Tucson
Chapter
President of Operation Homefront in Arizona Margy Bons with
Auxiliary-10188 Veterans and Family Support Chairman Kim Sloan
at the Operation Back-Pack event organized and staffed by VFW's and
Auxiliaries 10188 and 549 in Tucson.
VFW Auxiliary
volunteers Francis Gilpin and Auxiliary-10188 President
Eileen Bedel register guests at Operation Back-Pack. The event
was intended primarily for children of enlisted ranks E-6 and below;
but in practice any guest with an active-duty military ID was
welcome.
Auxiliary
Department Vice President (and event host) Mary ‘Ronnie’
Heinemann helps guests choose a backpack style at Operation
Back-Pack held at VFW-549 in Tucson. It was a tough call, as there
were over a dozen different styles to choose from. Partially hidden
by Ronnie is volunteer “Jenna” that is also helping guests.
Pictured is the
collection of ‘stuffing’s’ at Operations Back-Pack held at Post-549
in Tucson. In between the tables Volunteers Lucile Lombardo
(Auxiliary-549) and Agnes Skoropad (Auxiliary-10188)
help guests stuff their Back-Packs. The stuffing’s included almost
every imaginable item of school supplies. A large portion of VFW-549
floor space was occupied by the tables that were piled high with
school supplies.
Pictured on the
left are two youth volunteers that helped out at the Operation
Back-Pack event held at VFW-549 in Tucson. On the right are some of
the military kids that left the event with their Back-Packs
completely stuffed with school supplies.
Slideshow of
event.
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