any soldier update

The troops that we supported in May from Any Soldier have posted an update and thank you on their website! Here's what they had to say:

June 18th, 2011

"The support that my company has received has been overwhelming. To know that there are people back home that truly care about our safety and health has been a large motivator for some of my troops...
...Again I would like to thank everyone for their support. I know my soldiers appreciate it and I appreciate being able to put smiles on their faces when I deliver them boxes upon boxes. The tempo where we are located is extremely fast paced and frustrating at times and the Any Soldier care packages and letters help immensely!"

SGT Christina M. Hanshaw

I am so excited to have heard back from them! It is so great to know what we've done is appreciated and helps the troops get through their day. They are now asking for more beverage mixes, microwavable foods and healthy snacks--and are no longer in need of feminine items and hygiene products as they have received a lot of them. Please let me know if you would like to send a care package and need the address!

If you have already sent a letter or care package, feel good about yourself because you made someones day on the other side of the world :)

Be the change. Make the difference.

the difference -- Any Soldier

Thank you to all of you who helped support Any Soldier this month! I was able to send out four care packages and several letters to show the soldiers some love! I haven't heard back from any of them yet, but if I do I will let you know.

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend! I had a nice weekend up north with the man :) But as always on this holiday, I remember my Grandpa John who served in World War II and passed away six years ago... and also my Grandpa Bruno who passed away five years ago this weekend. Miss you both all the time...

If you would still like to donate or send a care package, please visit Any Soldier to learn more about how to help.

I will be back later this week to introduce the feature for June! Can't wait!

Be the change. Make the difference.

inspired

I just found this stat on the Any Soldier website -- as of May 16th, they have served 1,931,708 troops! The more I think about this story and how Any Soldier was started, I'm amazed. If you missed the post, click here. It is the determination and drive behind Marty and Sue that have effected the lives of so many troops. 

Their son who at the time was stationed in Iraq, was passing his own care packages from his mom and dad along to soldiers who did not receive any mail. To have a family this small see a problem, create a solution and make this big of an impact is awesome. I mean really, 1,931,708 troops got letters/care packages/support because of them! 

I also found this quote on their website, which I thought I would share with you:

"It is a letter, maybe even a box, addressed to a particular Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman, or Coast Guardsman, that will change the day of that Warrior. I can tell you for a fact, that a simple act like that may not only save the life of that Warrior, but affects the morale of the entire unit."

Marty, Founder of Any Soldier

These people and this story has inspired me. I hope someday to have changed so many lives.

I finally sent out the care packages this week...and yes, the custom forms are a hassle. BUT it was totally worth it because I know they will brighten a soldier's day. 

If you would still like to send a package or letter to the troops, email me at spennerphotography@gmail.com. Or visit  Any Soldier to make a financial donation. Happy Memorial Day to all of you :)

Be the change. Make the difference.

Logan

During our sophomore year of college, my friend Logan decided to go into the Marines. He was dating my roommate Ashleigh at the time and through her, I heard of his journey while he was away. Four years later, he is finally home for good :) I asked him to write a bit about the importance of support from home and here is what he had to say:

Cpl Stark

Scout Sniper Platoon

3rd Battalion 5th Marines 

OEF 10-11

Sangin, Afghanistan

Sep 10-Apr 11

"Being in Afghanistan isn't an easy thing but the one thing that you can always look forward to is care packages. I received multiple packages and letters from people that I have never met and from people who don't know me, but sometimes those are the best kind to get. Knowing that there are people out there who are making an effort to reach the troops makes the job that much easier. It is always good to remember who we are fighting for and while we do a job for our loved ones its the everyday American citizens that make the difference. So I implore you to make a difference and if you already have, thank you."

Logan is in the back all the way to the right

Thank you to Logan and all those who served with him--we are happy to have you home again! 

Please contact me at spennerphotography@gmail.com if you would like to send a letter or care package to the troops! Or visit the Any Soldier website to make a financial donation :) 

Be the change. Make the difference.

sending some love :)

I received my first donation for Any Soldier from my wonderful sister Jackie! She is so great--ready to go into labor any day, and getting ready for a newborn in her home---and still has time to support my blog. Love you, Jacks!

Here is what her donation of $50 got me:

And this is what I turned it into:

These care packages are jammed full of delicious treats, healthy snacks, stationary, feminine products, drink mixes and notebooks. 

And this is what this project is about for me--I know I can't fix the world's problems. I can't protect all the soldiers and bring them safely home. But I can send a little bit of home to them to brighten their day. And with this small donation, and these four boxes... we will have impacted four soldiers on the other side of the world. 


Thank you again to my beautiful and loving sister :) If you are interested in donating, or sending a care package/letter this month, please email me at spennerphotography@gmail.com. I will give you the address to the soldiers we are supporting this month.

In other news, I registered to become a bone marrow donor today to get ready for the June Feature! I can't wait to tell you what I have planned :) Have a great weekend!


Be the change. Make the difference.

Grandma Ruth

Grandma Ruth just turned 90 years old, she is the mother of five and grandmother of ten, and she was a nurse in World War II. 

My cousin Leah in Grandma's uniform

I have the honor of being able to have dinner with her once a week, just her and I. This is something all of my cousins are jealous of, and something I treasure greatly. Having such a large, close family, time like this is hard to come by. After all, she's got a lot of people that want her attention. But, needless to say, I'm the favorite granddaughter and get to hear all of her awesome stories :) 


When she talks about the war, its never about the bad stuff, it's about the places she's been and the friends she met. She's been in several different countries, and while I know shes seen more than she tells, her stories always leave us in awe. My cousins and I all think she's tough because she's thrown a grenade before. I wonder what she thinks when she hears that though...as I'm sure at the time, it wasn't so much cool and awesome as it was scary.


Grandma told me that she went to school to be a nurse because college was too expensive. It only cost her $250 for all of her training, room and board, and uniforms to become a nurse. I asked her once how she knew she could handle the sight of blood before she went to school, and she simply said that she didn't know. She just went.

Jackie with Grandma's other uniform on (and glass of wine!)

I admire my Grandma for many things, but this attitude towards life is one of the biggest. She became a nurse and went into the service and saved lives because she had to. She was dedicated to her country and served out of honor. This attitude has carried over to her family life and since has made us the strongest family I know. We don't always get along, and we have our differences. But we support each other because we have to--because we are a family.

All the grand kids and Grandma @ her 90th birthday party

If you would like to support the men and women in the service currently, please email me to get the address of the troop we are supporting this month! You can send a care package, or even just a letter to brighten the day of a soldier. Or visit the Any Soldier website to make a financial donation and find more ways to show the love :)   


Be the change. Make the difference.

some letters

If you know me at all, you know that one of my specialties is home-made cards. I love sending little notes to people to thank them for something, or tell them how much they mean to me. Since actual cards are usually so expensive, I've gotten really good at making my own :) 

So today, I sat down and make some thank you cards to send to the soldiers. Nothing too fancy, just a big "thank you" on the front and a few words of encouragement on the back. These took me maybe an hour to make.

Also, as you may or may not know, I love scrap booking. So yes, I had this paper just sittin' around, ready to be used for something like this!

I also took time to write a letter, which I addressed to "Any Female Soldier" because I wanted to personally thank one of the ladies for having far more courage and strength than me. Emotionally and mentally, I could not handle being in a war zone. Physically, I don't think I could make it out of training.


Again, letters like these are the MOST requested item from soldiers. So if you don't want to do a care package, simply write a letter with a regular stamp on it, and make someones day.


If you would like to send a letter or care package to a soldier, please email me at spennerphotography@gmail.com so I can give you the address of the unit we are supporting this month. OR get a hold of me and I can send your care package items out for you. Here is a list of the requested items:

*Ramen noodles
*Microwaveable meals
*Snacks
*Powder drink mixes
*Mini-clip fans
*Stationary
*Phone cards
*Feminine hygiene products

You can also click here to go to the Any Soldier website, where you can make a financial donation and find more ways to support our troops!


Be the change. Make the difference.

Grandpa John

Often times, funerals rush by in a blur. Or at least they do to me anyway. It was my first semester in college, the fall of 2005 and I was adjusting to life on my own when I got a call from my dad. My Grandpa John had passed away at the age of 93. 

Unfortunately, I had to begin dealing with death at a young age. The first funeral I had to attend was at the age of twelve for a good family friend. I knew the drill, knew the steps...but I also knew this funeral would be much harder. It did rush by in a blur, but these are the things I remember the most:


*holding my sisters hand walking into the funeral
*the eerie feeling of Grandma and Grandpa's house
*seeing the American Flag being presented to my Grandmother as she broke down in tears
*hearing twenty one gun shots

My Grandpa was not only an amazing husband, father and grandfather, but a soldier in World War II. I don't think I ever heard him talk about the war, just stories about coming home and meeting Grandma. And how they raised four kids together. And how cheap gas used to be. 

Grandpa never spoke about the war...it was sort of an unspoken rule not to ask about it. And I prefer not knowing the stories. I never wanted to remember him somewhere far away fighting for his country and his life. I wanted to remember him giving me Big Red gum, and money for slurpees, and sitting in the background of family gatherings simply shaking his head and saying "we sure do have fun..." And that's how I remember him every day when I look at his dog tags.

Below is a collage I made during my time at GVSU. We had to make them in a digital class and could create it about anything we wanted to. The writing is actually from a letter from Grandma Ruth about my other Grandpa Bruno...but we'll get to them shortly! The rest are pictures I adore of my Grandfather, showing his dedication to his family and country.

 

Please email me at spennerphotography@gmail.com if you are interested in sending a care package or letter to a soldier in the service now. 

Be the change. Make the difference.  

 

tips on shipping

If you are interested in shipping on your own to the unit from Any Soldier, here are some tips for you:



*DO NOT mix hygiene and food products in the same box. Pick one or the other to ship--if they are mixed the food will taste like soap by the time it arrives!

*Flat rate boxes are going to be the way to go -- you will pay postage only to either New York or San Fransisco. Cost will vary depending on the weight.

*Packages must weigh less than 70lbs and be smaller than 103 inches in total length and girth.

*Be sure to pack tightly and tape the box A LOT -- it has a long way to go!

*Things you CANNOT send include: obscene articles, firearms, any matter depicting nude or semi nude persons, bulk quantities of religious material contrary to the Islamic faith, pork or pork by-products


For any other questions you may have regarding sending care packages, click here to go to the AnySoldier website. 

Care packages require a little bit of work, so again, if you don't feel like doing it, just send your donated items my way and I will ship it for you! Or simply WRITE A LETTER! Letters are the most requested item from soldiers!

I sent my first letter out today...I'm trying to be creative with them so I had Eli, the four year old I babysit for, draw pictures of his favorite things. The pictures included the Polar Express, flowers, and a crane. Then I just wrote a little something about these our some favorite things that you fight for every day, with a big THANK YOU on the front :) 

One of my favorite Eli faces :)

Easy as that! Please email me at spennerphotography@gmail.com if you need the address for our unit!



I'll be back next week with the first soldier feature and finally the total for CW4W! 


Be the change. Make the difference.

our troops

Any Soldier was formed by Marty and Sue Horn, who in 2003 were sending approximately six care packages a week to their son Brian while he was in Iraq. Needless to say, they were shocked when Brian asked them to send even more because he was giving them to the soldiers who didn't receive anything.

After that conversation, Any Soldier was formed and has since served 1.4 million troops! Soldiers can sign their unit up on their website, and then they become the main contact. Packages and letters are then sent to that individual who then hands them out to their soldiers, some of which don't receive any mail.

Of course, I signed us up! I decided to find a unit from Michigan and found one that just recently joined the organization. Our contact's name is SGT Christina M. Hanshaw, and her unit is from Pontiac, MI. Here's what she had to say:

April 28, 2011

"The 1775th Military Police Company is based out of Pontiac, MI. We are a unit full of energetic, patriotic professionals who always do their best to accomplish the many and varied missions that are assigned to us. We aim to improve upon previous successes and constantly learn how to enhance our war fighting abilities, as well as our capacity for humanitarian assistance. The Military Police historically have been charged with the security of key infrastructure and personnel in domestic and overseas operations. The 1775th MP CO was mobilized for Operation Desert Shield/Storm, peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia and now for OEF in Afghanistan.

The soldiers in my company are spread thin with very few resources to support them. On behalf of my soldiers I ask for your help. My soldiers receive one hot meal a day and have asked me to help provide them with food. They have access to a microwave and refrigerator. Showers and real latrines are hard to come by for my soldiers. Being in the desert in the middle of summer makes it very hot and my fellow soldiers do not have air conditioning in their barracks making it very difficult to sleep at night.

I spoke to my soldiers about getting them support and what they would ask for if I could help them. Their number one response was food. They asked for ramen noodles, microwavable mac and cheese, microwavable dinners such as the pasta bowls, crackers, snacks and drink mixes they could take on missions with them. They also asked for mini clip fans. Something they could clip to their cot to cool them down while trying to sleep. They also asked if phone cards and stationary could be sent so they could talk to their families and children.

The females have specifically asked for feminine hygiene products such as tampons, pads, baby wipes, and baby powder. They have also requested hair spray to keep within military standards.

As the Admin NCO on behalf of my soldiers, I thank you for all of your support!"

-SGT Christina M. Hanshaw

This month I will be doing a few different things....first of all, if you'd like to send a care package, but don't want to hassle with the post office, just let me do it for you! All you have to do is give me the items you'd like to send, along with money for shipping, and I'll do the rest! OR you can send them on your own--just be sure to snap a few pictures of your care package first and email them to me!


Secondly, I am offering up my scrap booking supplies for anyone who would like to come make letters and fun notes to send to the troops! The number one requested item from soldiers is LETTERS! This is such a simple way to make a difference and give encouragement--you just use a regular stamp and envelope!

Please email me at spennerphotography@gmail.com if you would like the address for our troops!
 
Last, but certainly not least, I will be featuring those I know who have been in/are in the service as a way of honoring them and everything they've done.

I'll be giving you more details about how to ship packages later this week, so stay tuned for more details! YOUR first step is picking up a few extra things listed above next time you are at the grocery store, and we'll go from there!

Be the change. Make the difference. 

May Feature :)

As you all know I have decided to extend April's feature of Clean Water For The World to give me more time to collect bottles and count money (we've almost reached $600!) But, time marches on...and while I am still collecting for last month, it is time to introduce May's feature!

For May, I decided to find an organization that supports troops since Memorial Day is this month. So, I will be talking about Any Soldier :) 

Those of you that know me personally know that I am not a political person, and my intention is not to start a debate here. This is not about republicans or democrats--or if this war should still be happening or not. This is about love. And I believe above all of our own opinions, we should always show one another love, no matter what. 

Despite your political party or thoughts about what's happening on the other side of the world right now, the bottom line is that our people are there. Our brothers and sisters, our friends, our relatives. Every person I know knows someone who has been or is in the service.


So this is about supporting each other. Supporting the people on the other side of the world who are putting their lives at risk right now for us...and leaving the politics out of it :)

Any Soldier is an awesome organization that helps people send care packages and letters to those in the service. I'll tell you all about how it got started and how you can help (we even have our own troop that we'll be supporting!!). I'll also be featuring people I know who have been/are in the service! Stay tuned for more details!

Be the change. Make the difference.