Lynne Moore
Although this was a quiet month, Support Our Troops (SOT) still made significant charitable donations, as well as shipments of goods to deployed troops. We shipped 41 boxes to Germany, the U.K., Japan, Korea, Europe, Guam, and Africa. Year-to-date we have shipped 228 boxes to deployed troops. We also mailed beautiful cards made by our Sassy Stampers. Our members write personal notes to each troop that we support. The deployed get a card each month, and those on active duty but not deployed receive one every quarter. We get many emails from those who have received our shipments or a card. They are very grateful for the support and caring of our organization.
The first meeting of this school year for the Young Men’s Service League was on Aug. 20. These young men from Argyle High School and their moms are so positive and patriotic. For SOT, they write cards to the troops and participate in other events. They meet here at Robson on the third Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. and often hear a veteran speak about their service experience. Feel free to join them and get to know a terrific group of young men.
Our yearly Veterans Day Silent Auction will be on Saturday, Nov. 11. There will be lots of creative new ideas for this year’s auction, so stay tuned for updates.
We were also introduced to a new national organization called Quilts of Valor. This is a group of quilters who present beautiful, hand-made quilts to veterans who have been nominated in recognition of their service to our country. We hope to present at least one such quilt to a deserving veteran from Robson Ranch at our Veterans Day Ceremony. If you would like to learn more about Quilts of Valor or to nominate a deserving person, go to their website, www.govf.org, or google “Quilts of Valor.”
We offer flag kits so that you can display the U.S. flag in your yard. It will be installed by members of SOT. The flag kits cost $60 (only U.S.-made flags are used). If you already have a flagpole installed and need a new flag, they can be ordered for $30 and they will be delivered to you. The person to call is Quinn Sowell at 940-262-1106.
Bricks honoring veterans are for sale in various sizes. They are installed in the Veterans Park. To order these, call Darin Burk at 309-530-1124. Forms are also available in the clubhouse in the drawer under the Tribute Book and on our website, www.supportourtroopstexas.com. Also, we are now installing new types of bricks where the lettering is lasered onto them and then fired. It creates a more durable surface than the previous bricks we have used. Besides new bricks, SOT plans to begin replacing those already in the park that are scuffed up or barely legible. SOT plans to absorb the cost of doing this, though we will gladly accept donations from family and friends.
SOT meets the second Monday of the month at 1 p.m. in the clubhouse. You do not have to be a veteran to join the group—just a person interested in supporting our military. Also, if you have a relative who is in the military, whether at home or deployed, please let us know. We would love to support them and their families.