We are less than two weeks away from Netroots Nation, and I want us to meet or exceed or financial goal of $50,000. I received a small unexpected check last week, so I am issuing a challenge. I will pay 10 cents for every comment in this diary up to $100. Chat away, you are on my dime.
Second I am the volunteer coordinator for NFTT. I have filled all the spaces in the NFTT booth on Thursday, but I have a few time slots left on Friday. I need a volunteer for the following Friday afternoon slots: 12-2pm, 1-3 pm, and 3-5 pm. If you can do one of these, please e-mail me. I am also looking for volunteers for Saturday morning in advance of the big box packing operation on Saturday. Please e-mail me if you can do a 2-hour time slot. We will also need all hand on deck on Saturday afternoon to help pack the boxes.
Follow me below the fold.
I also want to say a word in commemoration of the World War I generation. The very last of these old soldiers are rapidly disappearing. My mom was born on the first full day of peace, November 12, 1918, and she will turn 91 this fall. I have always had an interest in the First World War. It was probably sparked by watching Walter Cronkite's Twentieth Century as a child.
In late July the last British combat veteran of World War I, Harry Patch, passed away at the age of 111. While there are three know remaining WWI veterans--an American, an Australian, and a Canadian--Mr. Patch was the last survivor of the trenches. Harry Patch served as a machine gunner at Passchendaele in 1917. He was wounded so severely by a German shell that he was sent home. He did not begin to speak about his WWI experiences until after his 100th birthday.
Just a week earlier, Henry Allingham, another British veteran of the First World War died at the age of 113. At the time of his death. Mr Allingham was the world's oldest man. He served as a mechanic for the Royal Naval Air service.
Since World War I, poppies have been the universal symbols of remembrance:
The last and only surviving American veteran of the 1914-18 war is Frank Buckles of West Virginia. He is 108 and served as an ambulance driver near the Western Front. He was also held prisoner in World War II.
These men thought that they were fighting the war to end all wars. Sixty million people were involved in World War I. and over 9 million lost their lives. More than 90 years later, our troops are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Won't you please contribute to help make the lives of our servicemembers a bit more pleasant.
Here is the information on how you can make the life of a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine a little easier.
Our goal for Netroots For The Troops 2009 is $50,000.00 (cash or in-kind donations).
PLEASE DONATE HERE
We realize that you would like to donate something tangible to go inside the packages that will be mailed to the troops. Unfortunately, accepting in-kind donations from individuals is not practical in terms of storage and handling of the items. The Pittsburgh Convention Center is a union shop so we have more stringent rules that need to be followed. Instead, we will only be accepting corporate donations or cash from YOU to purchase items for the care packages this year.
Here’s how YOU can help:
- Please contact TexDem or DonnaMarie if you know someone who might be helpful in securing the corporate in-kind donations. To help you think of companies who could donate products, see below* for a list of potential items. Put your thinking caps on and let us hear from you. It takes time to get through the corporate processes so we need to hear from you ASAP!
- We are accepting cash from individuals and
beg ask that you DONATE HERE to contribute to this worthy cause. Your donation will enable us to purchase the things that we are unable to obtain through corporate donations, and will help to pay the costs of shipping them to our troops. This year your donations will be tax deductible, thanks to Netroots Nation and their partner Netroots Arts and Education Initiative, a California 501(c)3 corporation.
- Sign up for a diary! Our goal is to post two diaries per day until NN09. That’s a lot of diaries! Don’t worry---we’ve made it easy for you. We’ve got a template set up, and all you need to do is add a small introduction telling us why you are donating, sharing a story of someone you know who has served or is serving, or any other thing you want to share that might help motivate others to donate. Please contact Donnamarie if you are interested in posting a diary.
- Do you know a service member who would like to receive a care package? Email a request to: NFTT.request@gmail.com before July 31, 2009.
Please include all of the following information. Unfortunately we will not be able to process any incomplete requests:
Rank:
Last name:
First name:
APO Address Line 1:
APO Address Line 2:
APO Address Zip:
- Write letters to be included in the packages! Our own jlms qkw is collecting the letters and will print them out and bring them to Pittsburgh. Just email your letter to her jlms_qkw@yahoo.com. Look for more information from jlms qkw soon. If you need some ideas, rbutters wrote an excellent diary with tips on how to write letters to troops and why it’s so important to them.
- Help us assemble the packages in Pittsburgh. It's fun! More information will be forthcoming for those of you who are going to be in Pittsburgh and would like to help there.
- Please consider joining the NFTT FaceBook Group. Invite your FaceBook and non-FaceBook friends.
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*The following list contains some of the things we would like to include in the packages. Please let us know if you know someone who might be helpful in securing these corporate in-kind donations. (Please DO NOT send these items yourself! We have no way to accept them. Instead, your cash donation is the very best way to help make this happen on the ground in Pittsburgh.)
- Baby wipes
- Mechanix gloves
- LED flashlights
- Gel shoe insoles
- Goop Cleaning Gel
- Powdered energy drinks
- Gel energy food packets
- DVDs and CDs
- Letters to the soldiers
- More suggestions coming soon
Books for Soldiers
Soldiers love to receive books, but due once again to the logistics of collecting and storing them prior to NN09, books will not be included in the packages that NFTT will put together this year. Other organizations are more specialized in the collection and distribution of books to Iraq and Afghanistan. If you are interested in sending books, please consider checking out the Books for Soldiers Website. It is run by DKos's very own StormBearand is a great resource for giving.
Important Note about Successful Online Donations
PLEASE DONATE HERE
When you make your online donation, the screen indicates that you are donating to Netroots Nation. This is the right screen! Rest assured all donations WILL go to NFTT. If you wish, feel free to use the comment area provided to note that your donation is intended for Netroots For The Troops. It isn’t necessary to do this however, as this is the only fundraising activity being conducted for Netroots Nation at this time. For further information about online donations, please read TexDem's diary on the subject.
Update 07/08/09
We have our first deep discount of a product. Our LED pinch-light flashlight. Princeton Tec, through Hit the Trail Wilderness Gear and Nature Goods, a hiking store in Newnan GA, are providing us a discount for the top of the line "Impulse".
If you need hiking gear, please support Robbie Hinley online via, Hit the Trail. Spread the word.
We are so close to our goal. Spend my money and help us meet this challenge.