What's Going On at Keystone
We here at Keystone Soldiers are working very hard to keep the packages and letters going to our troops. We have some great events and fundraisers coming up. This will be a short overview to give you some ideas on how you can help and support our troops.
First and foremost we are getting the prep work done for our annual Stockings for Soldiers campaign. We had to cut back last year on the number of stockings we mailed out due to the failing economy. This year has been tough and donations for postage are still well below last year at this time. Our goal for this year will be to ship 7500 holiday stockings to troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and several other areas where we have units that have asked to participate. If you have troops that would like to receive the stockings to pass out please make sure we have correct contact information for mailing the boxes and the approximate number of male and female stockings requested. We will do our best to get the stockings to them in time for the holiday. Our shipping deadline to accomplish this task is Dec 5th, 2009. We must have all the donated items and money for shipping no later than Dec 1st. I will be updating the care package request list in the next few days to reflect the items we need for the stockings.
In order to raise some of the money for shipping we will be working on a fundraiser with the Bon Ton store in Wyomissing as part of their annual Community Day event. I will be posting a separate article with all the details but the important part of this fundraiser is selling coupon books. By purchasing a coupon book for $5.00 you will get a coupon for $10.00 off any purchase of $10.00 or more AND you will be sponsoring the cost of one Christmas stocking for a soldier! How cool is that? Donate $5.00 and get $10.00 back! Keep watching the website for the full details and the dates & times we will be in the store selling the coupon books. There will also be information on purchasing the books online.
Sunday October 4th from 3 PM to 6 PM will be a cruise and car show sponsored by Cocalico Cruisers. This show is to benefit Keystone Soldiers and we will have a table there to accept donations for care packages. The event will take place at Dave's Diner in Adamstown, PA. As soon as we have a copy of the flyer we will post it here on the website. We hope to see some of you there! Details and directions will be posted on the calender.
We will be offering a limited number of Thanksgiving Dinner boxes for the troops again this year. The boxes will contain a semi-traditional dinner for individuals or units and MUST be shipped by November 5th. I am still working on the pricing and should have the details posted on the website by early next week.
There will be a new website coming in the next few weeks. It will have a new look and be even easier to navigate. There will be new features and an expanded profile section so you can interact more easily. It is our hope that some of the troops receiving care packages will post their thank you notes on the website. We will have new photo galleries and an all new chat section. We would like to have some scheduled chats and family members will also be able to chat privately with their soldiers. The safety and security of the troops and their families are always our primary concern. We do not share any of their information without their permission and that will never change. There are sections of the website that are only available to registered users and that will be the same on the new website. The new site will make it easier for readers and volunteers to post content that will be useful and informative for both the military and the public who want to support our troops.
That is just a few of the upcoming events! If you are interested in helping with any of these events or volunteering at our packing office please send us an email and let us know when you are available. We have a great group and always welcome new volunteers no matter if they are there once or every week! There will be lots of opportunities for scouting and school or church groups to help this year so be sure to get your dates scheduled early!
As always.....thanks for your continued support for our troops and for Keystone Soldiers!
Lordzmom
