Lynne Moore
The Support Our Troops (SOT) Silent Auction is set for Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11. This is a special highlight for us and for Robson Ranch. It is one of two fundraisers that we have to fund our donations to our current-serving military, deployed or here at home. For those of you who are new to the Ranch, the items offered at our Silent Auction are really terrific. We have artwork, gift cards, restaurant certificates, wine and cheese baskets, handmade cards from our terrific Sassy Stampers, crafty items and woodworking constructions, spa treatments, donations from the many instructors, and lots of terrific surprises, too! There will also be some new activities at the auction this year, which should be great fun.
At our September meeting this year, we had a brief slideshow remembering the impact and aftermath of 9/11. Texas Representative Lynn Stucky spoke to us about 9/11 as well. He also made a generous donation to SOT for our troops.
We are currently supporting 10 deployed troops in Egypt, Germany, the U.K., Japan, Korea, and Guam. We shipped 46 boxes of goodies and other requested items to those deployed this past month. Remember that we will support any relatives or friends of Robson Ranch residents who are active military. It is so appreciated by them and their families. We also support related charities that help the military and their families, including Patriot Paws, which trains dogs to be support animals for those in the military who need them.
The Young Men’s Service League from Argyle High School comes monthly to the Ranch with their moms. They do all types of service projects, as well as writing letters to our troops. These are placed in the boxes that we ship to the deployed troops. The group has grown so much that we are now moving to a bigger room at the clubhouse.
We do offer flag kits for those wanting to display the American flag in their yard. The flags are all manufactured in the U.S. and will be installed by an SOT member. The kit is $60. If you already have a flagpole but need a new flag, you can order one for $30. Contact Quinn Sowell at 940-262-1106 to order a kit or a flag.
The Veterans Park brick drive is ongoing. If you want to purchase a brick, they come in two different sizes. You can contact Darin Burk at 309-530-1124 to order. He can advise you on the wording you can use on the bricks.
SOT meets on the second Monday of the month in the clubhouse at 1 p.m. You do not have to have served in the military or be a veteran to be a part of this wonderful group. It is open to all Robson residents. You can join different groups within SOT or just come and enjoy our meetings. If you have a relative or friend in the military you would like us to support, just let us know. We look forward to seeing or hearing from you. Check us out at supportourtroopstexas.com.