Georgia Trail Riders Forum
MEMBERS DISCUSSION AREA => General Discussion => Topic started by: JT on November 14, 2008, 01:55:37 PM
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If you guys get ORA magazine you are probably already familiar with Operation LightSaber.....by the end of the fundraiser, my students final total was $845.29.....with a 100% matching donation from 4 Wheel Parts, we are sending 22 sets of Pro Comp lights to the soldiers in Iraq!!! There will be a write up about the fundraiser in ORA magazine......maybe the January issue.
Austin Students Support Soldiers
By By Mary Prickett mprickett @neighbornewspapers.com
Staff/Joe Livingston
In the spirit of the popular Army slogan “we do more before 6 a.m. than most people do all day” a group of students from Austin Middle School has united its efforts in the morning hours to show its appreciation to overseas soldiers.
The group, which Social Studies teacher Jonathan Thomas said is called the Team Time Social Studies Enrichment Group, uses a study hall assignment to break into groups. The group, he said, chose to study current events and after reflecting on the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq. Conversations led the group to lend its support to deployed soldiers.
“We talked about the war and some of the students have friends and family over there,” he said. “But when we were done with the discussion, they wanted to look for a way to help and that is when I told them about Operation Lightsaber.”
Operation Lightsaber, Thomas said, was founded by 4Wheel Parts, who collect money to purchase high-powered spot lights to be mounted on Humvees so soldiers could look for roadside bombs during night patrols.
The group includes 15 students who have been raising money since Oct. 31. A check was sent Nov. 7.
As of Nov. 5, Thomas said the group had raised $469.11, which, he added, will double.
“4Wheel Parts will match 100 percent of what we raise, so it will be $1,000 total,” he said.
The money, Thomas said, will buy 13 or 14 spotlights, which cost about $75.
One participant, Bethany Hight, said she feels helping soldiers purchase spotlights is a great way to offer support and assistance.
“I think this is a good way to help people in Iraq,” she said. “I learned how many have died over there and this is a way to keep them safe so they can come back home. I don't have any family members over there, but I know some people who have gone and are about to go and this will help them.”
Another student, Savannah Smith, said her family has seen first hand how the war can affect soldiers and families.
“My brother was in Iraq for eight months and lost his two best friends,” she said. “I wanted to do this to help their families and other families because I know what they are going through and it's really tough.”
The entire school, Thomas said, was extremely supportive of the group's efforts.
“We have had 100 percent support from the school and outside of the school,” he said. “It has been amazing how quickly we were able to raise the money and we want to say thank you to everyone who has donated.”
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....to the post about my students' fundraiser!
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very very cool {toast}
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...picture to go with the story!
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Great job!! {salute}
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Good job. It's nice to hear about positive things happening in schools. You couldn't have chosen a better cause.
By the way, who's Joe Livingston?
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Not a relation man?
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Good job getting the kids involved.
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That's terrific! Thanks from me too. {toast} (with milk for the kids!)
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Way to go!
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That is very cool. What do you teach?
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is there a unit that you are sending them tooo or you doing any soldier type thing?? If you need a point of contact to get them to a certian unit let me know... or if you want i can tell you which unit i would send them too that would get some letters and pics back from them.... last time i was there we got boxes of stuff from schools and noone would send a letter back... had to write 15 letters back to that school.. anyway just let me know
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is there a unit that you are sending them tooo or you doing any soldier type thing?? If you need a point of contact to get them to a certian unit let me know... or if you want i can tell you which unit i would send them too that would get some letters and pics back from them.... last time i was there we got boxes of stuff from schools and noone would send a letter back... had to write 15 letters back to that school.. anyway just let me know
That's cool Mike. I bet the kids really appreciated your letters. Operation LightSaber is well organized with a specific mission. They saw a specific need, but for something this important, I wonder why doesn't the military already have the "right stuff".
Operation Lightsaber
Support Our Troops Stationed in Iraq with Operation Lightsaber
Join 4 Wheel Parts in helping to supply our troops in Iraq with crucial lighting units for safety in combat zones.
For each dollar donated, 4 Wheel Parts will match the contribution and 100% of the proceeds will go towards the purchase and shipment of Pro Comp lights for use on patrol Humvees for searching for IEDs and roadside bombs while on night patrol.
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Matt.........I teach 8th Grade Social Studies (Georgia History, Govt, Econ, Geography). Have been teaching and coaching in Paulding for 12 years now.
Mike.....I have been in close contact with Denis Snow (editor/publisher of ORA) and he is taking care of getting the lights to the guys in Iraq....think he has some sort of waiting list going on for which units are next in line for lights. My class has also written letters that were sent a few weeks ago (care of ORA/4Wheel Parts)....I don't have any direct links to the units over there, just trusting that Denis will get everything where it is supposed to go (and from my dealings with him so far, I am 100% sure the letters and lights will end up in the right places.)
I would be more than happy to get some more letters sent if you give me the address of the unit you are referring to......the kids were also going to send copies of old magazines (Sports Illustrated, Field & Stream, stuff like that). Any other ideas on what we could send???
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And thanks to whoever got the pictures attached to the original message for me (Big Jerm?)
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wasnt me. i was going to when i got home but guess others mods got it.
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This is great stuff , thanks for sharing it with us.
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And thanks to whoever got the pictures attached to the original message for me (Big Jerm?)
No Problem ;)
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i know when i was there we were buying our own lights and most of the lightsaber stuff ended up south.. Kuwait and south of Bdad where it really wasnt needed.. most of the IED's are in Bdad and North of there.. I know when we were out side the wire there were nights were my gunner had to use a spotlight to search for them... maybe they have fixed the problem by now of shipping it to the REMF units just so they can look cool while they are goin back and forth from the chu to the px..
this is a awsome thing you are guys are doing... its a touchy spot for me cause i saw alot of stuff that should have ended up for the guys going out the wire and ended up going to the subway runners..
i know of a couple of units.... pm me and i will let you know.