It’s that time of year again! Halloween is only a month away, and we have begun planning to make our 2008 Candy for the Troops campaign even bigger than our record setting 2007. We need our patients to start doing their planning by coordinating with PTA’s, sports teams, dance studios, Sunday schools etc.
The collected candy will all be boxed by our office and shipped to Keystone Soldiers, who handled all 5600 pounds last year. The candy is used to make Christmas packages for the troops, to cheer up soldiers who are rehabilitating in hospitals at overseas bases, and to foster relationships with children who provide information to our troops in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This year, there is an added and important item on our agenda. We need checks, in any amount, to Keystone Soldiers to help defray the costs of shipping the candy overseas (which last year exceeded $10,000). I have already enrolled Citibank as a sponsor, and we need others. Any contribution of over $1000 will provide you with signage on the trailer (donated by NFI Freight).
We have also broadened the scope of available donation sites by inviting other friends of Dr. Markus’ throughout the region, to join the project. Please begin your thinking about this now, so that by the time Halloween comes around, we will be able to fill our trailer, and hand a nice large check to the volunteers at Keystone Soldiers.
Candy collection hours are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 1st from 10-4. We will definitely be collecting candy on Monday, November 3rd from 9-7, Tuesday November 4th (Election Day) from 9-3 and Wednesday November 5th from 9-7.