Marine Corps Moms

December 13, 2007

Operation Santa 2007 - almost done!

With 18,000 Christmas stockings in the mail to Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen all over the world, we thought we were finishing up this year. This morning, I got an e-mail from a coordinator back east who will not be able to send to the the 200 Marines he signed up for. This company is in a very remote location and has no access to a PX or other amenities. So, Connie and I will pack and send 200 stockings by tomorrow so that they will have a merrier Christmas and know that they have not been forgotten by the folks at home. We are at the end of our Operation Santa budget for 2007 and could use your donations to make this happen.

Each Marine will receive a handmade Christmas stocking, sewn with love by a volunteer back home. We'll fill it with a new pair of socks, handwarmers, packets of hot chocolate and hot spiced cider, games, and other small gifts that let them know that we appreciate them and their service to our country. They do so much for us - it's the least that we can do for them.

If you can help us fund this last minute outreach, please hit the Operation Santa Paypal button on this page or mail a check to:

Marine Corps Family Foundation
Operation Santa
4000 Lancaster Blvd. Ste 57
Salem, OR 97309

Or, if you need an end of the year tax deduction, consider the Marine Corps Family Foundation. Overhead costs are extremely low - we have no paid staff and all work is performed on a volunteer basis. We do not rent office space and we cover our own cell phone bills and other expenses. You can be sure that your donation will be used to support our troops who are spending their holidays abroad so that we can celebrate in peace here at home.

Questions? Please contact Deb at deb@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org.

Posted by Deb at 02:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Semper, Semper Fi

From today's NY Post, the stories of Wounded Warriors Sgt. Eric Morante, Gunny Blaine Scott, Lance Cpl. Chris Traxson, and Sgt. Jose Martinez. They fought for their country in Iraq and are now fighting for recovery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. :

Lt. Col. Grant Olbrich, a Marine aviator, heads the local Patient Affairs Team from the Marines' Wounded Warrior Regiment. He calls the Center for the Intrepid "wonderful" and the Army hospital "very supportive of Marines."

But he also notes that Marines do miss their own culture. Part of that culture is the Corps Commandant's position on severely wounded Marines: "If you want to stay in the Corps, we're going to find a way to keep you."

And Marines want to stay in. "They do not feel sorry for themselves," Lt. Col. Olbrich says.

Operation Santa will provide gifts for wounded warriors at BAMC, Walter Reed, and Balboa this year. If you'd like more information on how to get involved, contact operationsanta@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org.

Posted by Deb at 11:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 26, 2007

Operation Santa USMC goes to the dogs!

We're still immersed in making sure our troops are remembered this Christmas and last week, we received an additional 5,000 names of deployed Marines. Some of them are assigned to canine units. Canine Marines work side by side with their two-legged handlers, sniffing out explosives at vehicle checkpoints and buried ordnance. They save lives every single day - and here's your chance to reward them with their very own Christmas stocking filled with dog biscuits and perhaps a squeaky toy.

Contact operationsanta@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org for information on how you can adopt a squad of Marines this holiday season. We still have groups ranging in size from 7 up to 1,000. It's a perfect holiday project for your church, club, business, or other group. Donations for postage are also appreciated. Hit the PayPal link at the right or send a check to the Marine Corps Family Foundation, 4000 Lancaster Blvd, Ste 57, Salem, OR 97309. All donations are tax deductible.

Posted by Deb at 11:01 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 16, 2007

Operation Santa USMC 2007

Four years ago, two Marine Corps Moms began a holiday project to send Christmas stockings filled with holiday treats to deployed Marines in remote regions of Iraq. With the help of amazing volunteers throughout the country, we sent 6,000 stockings the first year, 12,000 in 2005, 18,000 in 2006, and have set a goal of 25,000 Christmas stockings for 2007. We're closing in on our goal but need help from military supporters to make this happen.

Packing parties are being held all over the country. I spent last weekend in North Bend, OR where the wonderful South Coast community came together to pack 2,000 Christmas stockings and boxes of platoon gifts (games, DVDs, baseball bats & balls, etc.) As you can imagine, this type of large scale project takes plenty of space and the owners of the Pony Village mall, Kathleen and Paul Rudder, generously donated a storefront for dozens of volunteers, headed by Kendra & Cam Parry and Molly Ford, have been working for weeks. This is just one of many groups that will send boxes of holiday cheer to our deployed troops - Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Air Force.

Donations have been coming in but postage is our biggest expense and we need help. A number of small communities have boxes waiting to be mailed - and they must be mailed by the end of November in order to reach our troops by Christmas. If you can help, click the Operation Santa Paypal link on this page or send a check to:

Marine Corps Family Foundation
Operation Santa
5000 Lancaster Blvd, Suite 57
Salem, OR 97309

MCFF is a 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. Questions can be sent to operationsanta@marinecorpsfamilyfoundation.org Thanks for getting involved!

Posted by Deb at 04:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 20, 2007

Congratulations to MCFF!

We were selected as the America Supports You Homefront Organization of the Week last week. Here's a link to the newsletter.

The Marine Corps Family Foundation is dedicated to supporting our Marines and other troops through various projects. Operation Santa sends filled Christmas stockings and other gifts to deployed troops. Operation Marine Corps Kids sends care packages to the families of deployed troops when babies are born while the dad is away. Operation Never Forgotten will soon launch a series of video billboards in Las Vegas and other cities. For more information, check out our Foundation website.

Posted by Deb at 02:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

December 01, 2006

Welcome KWJJ listeners!

Thanks to Matt, Mike, and Amy for the on air interview this morning - we still have 1100 empty stockings to fill! Donations can be brought to Regal Cinema at Bridgeport Village in Tigard or Chemeketa Community College (Bldg. 2) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Or, call me at (541) 974-6948 and I'll pick up donations if possible. I'll be in Tigard on Saturday at noon.

Here's what we still need for each stocking:
Handwarmers
White socks
Granola bars
Snack bars
Packaged nuts
Gum
Packaged cookies & crackers
Candies & lifesavers
Hot chocolate & spiced cider mix

Other items that help fill the stockings are:
DVDs & CDs
Beef jerky
Canned meats and tuna
Small packets of Tylenol
Iced tea & Gatorade mix
Paperback book
Hand cream
Thin black stocking caps/balaclavas
Handheld games
Pepperoni sticks
Frisbees
Nerf balls
Fruit snacks
Lightweight knit gloves
Batteries, AAA, AA, 9volt
Toothpaste/brush
Lip balm
Nail clippers
Razor
Disposable camera
Word game book
Pocket stoves & tablet fuel
Writing pads & paper

Donations for postage are appreciated and all donations to the Marine Corps Family Foundation are tax deductible.

Mail checks to :
Marine Corps Family Foundation,
4000 Lancaster Drive- Suite 57,
Salem, OR 97309

or hit the Paypal button at the right. Thanks!

Posted by Deb at 08:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 27, 2006

Supporting our Marines as they fight the War on Terrorism

Christmas is approaching and Operation Santa packages are arriving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's a letter from 2/8 Echo Company 1st Sgt. Adam Moore who received Christmas stockings for his Marines recently:

I wanted to take this time to THANK all of you for making our holiday a beautiful one. This time a year I have over a hundred Marines most of them under the age of 25. Some are experiencing there first tour in a combat zone where some are experiencing there third like myself. What you are doing is greatly appreciated by myself and the Marines of my company. Together with your support we can win this War on Terrorism! Everything is being used from the candy to the hygiene items and the stuff stockings. It gives them the Christmas spirit considering the most we ever see as an Infantry Unit is plenty of sand. We love our job of keeping Americans safe. To give you an idea, 13 Marines have reenlisted here in Iraq. This is a big deal when they know we are coming back in January 2008. Additionally I want to extend my best wishes for a safe Holiday to you and your families! When do we come home? Shortly after the holidays. If your organization is sending more packages just remember after 15 December it will be extremely difficult to get them here on time. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Semper Fidelis means "Always Faithful"! "Power of the Diamond" First Sergeant Echo Company 2D Battalion 8th Marines

It's not too late to get involved. We're still raising money to cover postage - click the Paypal link at right to donate online, or send your check to the Marine Corps Family Foundation, 4000 Lancaster Blvd. Suite 57, Salem, OR 97309. Your dollars will go directly to troop support.

Posted by Deb at 01:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 20, 2006

Operation Santa at Bethesda and Walter Reed

Carrie Costantini who has more energy than an entire squad of Santa's elves, is making sure that our nation's wounded at Bethesda and Walter Reed are remembered at Christmas with a touch of home.

Christmas. Just typing the word brings back memories of happiness, of warm cookies, of trees decorated with colored lights and glass ornaments, of grandmom's Chanel No. 5 scented hugs, and of festively wrapped presents. My favorite part of Christmas was seeing what Santa had put in my stocking. Hospital. That word also brings memories. Memories of rubbing alcohol, bright lights, kind nurses and especially, of missing home. I was born without hip joints and spent quite a bit of my earliest years at Walter Reed. I can remember being in the cast room there alongside wounded soldiers from Vietnam. (Yes, I'm that old). I'm sure you're all wondering why I am writing about two words that seem mutually exclusive. They're not, at least not to the wounded Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen who will be at Walter Reed and Bethesda this Christmas. There will be servicemembers in those hospitals on Dec. 25th. That is a sad truth. I know that they'd rather be back with their units in Iraq or Afghanistan AND at home with their loved ones but they can't be either place. They must be there to heal. I am pleased to announce the newest Operation Santa venture: Operation Santa/Bethesda and Walter Reed. It will work mostly the same was as the other Operation Santas. We want to bring them a stuffed stocking and a little bit of home. Candy canes, cookies, crackers, ornaments, cards, books, dvds, cd's, batteries, new socks. You can help us do this. You can send some Christmas cheer to a wounded servicemember at Bethesda or Walter Reed. You can donate money, you can donate gift cards from Sam's, Walmart, Target, etc. You can donate material goods. You can make a difference in a servicemember's holiday away from home. The question is: Will you do it? If you have any questions or comments, please email me at wrcostan@comcast.net or Andi at andi@andisworld.com

Tax deductible contributions to support Operation Santa at Walter Reed and Bethesda can be made by mailing checks to:

Marine Corps Family Foundation
4000 Lancaster Blvd. St. 57
Salem, OR 97309

or via Paypal at donations@marinecorpfamily foundation.org. Here's a handy link. Please be sure to designate your request for the Bethesda/Walter Reed effort.

Andi from Andi's World spent last Christmas without her husband who was deployed, so she spent the day visiting wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.. She said she left feeling "more blessed" than when she entered, visiting those who could not be elsewhere.

"One soldier told me that some of the letters were very emotional, "tear jerkers". Without a doubt, they are grateful for your cards and well wishes, though I have to tell you that I personally saw buckets, boxes and baskets of cards - thousands of them. It will take some time for them to even make a dent in the cards and letters."

Read more at Andi's World and please consider supporting Carrie, who volunteers year-round at Bethesda and Walter Reed, in making sure our wounded know that they are loved and supported by a grateful nation.

We'll continue to post more Operation Santa updates as they come in - I spent the weekend in North Bend, Oregon with a group of Marine moms, dads, aunts, and other supporters who packed 72 large boxes filled with thousands of Christmas stockings and gifts that will help make the holidays merrier for our deployed troops. We had a great time and I'll post more on this tomorrow morning.

Posted by Deb at 09:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack