Showing you care may be easier than you think

Local News

May 21, 2007

Kelly Foreman The Richmond Register Mon May 21, 2007, 07:59 AM EDT

Receiving a package from someone special is always exciting, but for troops serving overseas, it’s a little piece of home.

Many people may think it’s a good idea to send some goodies to our men and women who are at war, but don’t know where to begin. One Richmond woman said it’s easier than you might think.

Lee Williams is a Richmond citizen and a member of the Greater Lexington Paralegal Association, an organization which provides resources to paralegals in Lexington, Richmond, Winchester and other surrounding areas. Since 2005, Williams and other GLPA members have adopted other paralegals who are in the military. They send them care packages and keep in contact with them until they come home.

“It is a very simple thing to do,” Williams said. “We have a military-issued list of what we can send to them and everybody has a copy of it. We donate to the box and when it’s full, we send it on. We always get responses that it makes them feel like Christmas and how thankful that they are that they have not been forgotten.

“I want to show other organizations how simple it is to make somebody’s day so much better.”

In fact, getting names of troops overseas can be as simple as making a phone call. The Kentucky Army National Guard on KY 52 has organized family readiness groups, which are primarily comprised of spouses and family members of deployed troops, said Sgt. 1st Class Kenny Willis of the 2123 Transportation Company.

“They keep all the families informed of how the unit is doing while they’re deployed so they can actually have easy access with e-mail,” Willis said. “They also have a mailing address.”

Many of the family readiness groups conduct raffles and take donations to purchase supplies and to pay for postage on packages to be shipped oversees. Anyone who is interested in finding soldiers can call the Kentucky Army National Guard at 623-1692 to get in touch with one of the family groups and get names of local soldiers who are serving away from home.

Willis recommended keeping boxes to 25 pounds or less. There are only a few items, such as alcohol and pornography, which are forbidden.

Williams, who also is the mother of a soldier, said it is difficult to describe the feeling of knowing others are showing their support, care and encouragement for soldiers who are fighting overseas.

“It’s a very feel-good, do-good thing,” she said. “It makes you feel good to know that you have done this for somebody whose situation is not like yours. There is not a time they get to walk away from their job.”

Putting together the care packages is a win-win situation, Williams said.

“We’ve had some people write back and say, ‘Thank you so much, I shared it with this guy in my unit and he hasn’t even received a card since he’s been here.’ It breaks your heart, but at the same time, you know, ‘oh yeah, they got our stuff.’”

If your family or organization wants to adopt a local soldier to send care packages to, call the Kentucky Army National Guard at 623-1692. Good items to send:

• Bubble gum

• Baby wipes

• Canned or non-perishable food

• Batteries in all sizes

• Pens and pencils

• Writing tablets, envelopes

• Toothbrushes and toothpaste

• Ziplock bags in various sizes

• Chapstick

• Lotion

• Newspapers, magazines and books

• Music CDs

• Movies on DVD

• Hand-held puzzle games

• Playing cards

• Non-chocolate candy

• Flat bed sheets

• Thank-you cards

• Pantyhose to keep dust out of weapons

Items you should not send:

• Any aerosol containers

• Perishable food

• Alcohol

• Pornography

Kelly Foreman can be reached at kforeman@richmondregister.com or 624-6694.

Text Only

Local News

‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.

Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).

Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School.

May 27, 2012 5 Photos
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report.

May 27, 2012
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
May 26, 2012
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.

May 26, 2012 1 Photo
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment.

May 26, 2012
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed.

May 25, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Showing you care may be easier than you think

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map