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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Soldiers’ charity sends ‘the basics’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Everybody’s in a good mood, despite having to bump into, side-step and walk around each other.
The upbeat atmosphere is understandable, though. When you do something to help others, you can’t help but feel good, and the Soldier’s Connection has been at it since the start of the Iraq war.
The charity was started in the garage of Jean Adcock’s home in Covington. When she worked as warehouse manager at Fort Gillem, wartime veterans shared stories about going without basics like soap and deodorant.
“I made a vow that if we ever go to war again, I was going to do something to help the troops,” the retiree told me. “When I started this, it was just me and two other ladies from American Legion [Post No. 233]. We started in the garage, then moved to a basement. We got so big the post was nice enough to let us use some space.”
Every other Monday, volunteers meet at the Loganville post to stock care packages bound for U.S. soldiers in the Middle East. The boxes, some for men, some for women, contain snacks, soap, deodorant, phone cards, magazines and such.
When I visited Monday, Anitia Owens showed me the nonprofit’s records. Last year, when the group sorted and packed weekly, it shipped 212,000 items. They now sort and pack every other week, which gives them more time to restock.
“Every dollar goes to the soldiers,” said Owens of Loganville.
Donations come from the usual means - churches, organizations, everyday people. The charity sells T-shirts, magnets and hats and occasionally sets up booths outside discount stores. Volunteers give shoppers a list of needed items and ask them to either make a purchase or donate money.
Bobby Boss, the post commander, has nothing but praise for the Soldier’s Connection.
“It’s one of the greatest projects we’ve had in years,” he said. “And it keeps getting bigger and bigger. Donors see the need.”
Adcock agreed, saying donors are touched by the cause. Many supporters have relatives serving or know somebody who’s in. Volunteer Sandy Wittenmyer’s grandnephew served two tours in Iraq.
“He’s home now, stationed at an Army base in South Carolina,” the Loganville woman said. “He served his duty, and now he’s back, and that’s great.”
Soldier’s Connection’s mission has spread by word of mouth and networking. Active and retired military personnel tout its work; elected officials like Gov. Sonny Perdue, a member of Post. No. 233, support it. Three other chapters operate in South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio.
“I flew to Ohio in one weekend, showed them how to run a chapter, then flew back,” Adcock told me. “This has been fun. A great way to meet people.”
Fun - yes. But the volunteers, like me, wish their work wasn’t needed, that like Wittenmyer’s grandnephew, the soldiers come home. Soon. A Soldier’s Connection T-shirt sums up their sentiments:
“We will be here till they all come home.”
For more information about Soldier’s Connection, call Jean Adcock at 770-787-9085; or Anitia Owens at 770-554-9912.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875
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