WGUR honors soldiers overseas during holiday season

On Nov. 22, starting at 12:30 p.m. WGUR will provide students the opportunity to send soldiers in Afghanistan holiday cards.

“This event is open to anyone who comes by our table on their way to class. If it is something that catches your interest, send a card to a soldier for free,” said Shannon Twomey, the public relations manager for WGUR.

The staff at WGUR feels it is important to show the soldiers fighting overseas how much we support them at home in America.

“It may seem like a small scale thing to do for these men and women, but it allows us to do something nice in exchange for all of their efforts and for putting their lives on the line daily to ensure our freedoms,” said Ben Elliott, general manager for WGUR.

According to Elliott, it’s up to the students now to truly make this event a success by sending as many cards as possible to the soldiers in Afghanistan.

“We hope for a lot of participation from the students,” Elliott said. “It’s a good, heartwarming thing to do that won’t take a lot of time out of your day.”

Next year, the staff hopes to make this an even bigger annual event by sending care packages and supplies along with the holiday cards. Although they were on a limited budget for this year’s event, WGUR still felt the need to show the soldiers appreciation.

“If you know anyone who has served overseas, you might know how hard it can be for them to be away from their families during the holidays,” Twomey said. “That’s why we came up with the idea to give back to them by sending cards. We want to make them feel encouraged.” Students are inspired by WGUR’s holiday spirit and feel it is important to show the soldiers they aren’t forgotten while they are away from home.

“Since they are risking their lives for us and their country, sending a nice card to them for the holidays is the least we can do to lift their spirits,” said junior mass communication major Kelly Moye.

Other students feel a sense of personal gratitude for their efforts.

“I personally know of some soldiers overseas, so I really appreciate what WGUR is doing,” said freshman mass communication major Richard Kohberger. “I’m sure it will make their day when they receive these cards from students who don’t even know them.”

The staff at WGUR expects to mail the letters over Thanksgiving break in order to ensure their timely arrival for the holidays.

“We want as many letters written and addressed as possible so they can be on their way and arrive as close to Christmas time as they can,” Elliott said.

For more information on the event or how you could contribute to the soldiers in Afghanistan, contact Shannon Twomey at shannonktwomey@gmail.com.

Posted by Brina Potvin on Nov 18 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.