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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 31, 2007
CONTACTAubrey Streit, (785) 227-3311, ext. 8274
SOLDIERS IN IRAQ GRATEFUL FOR DONATIONS FROM ADOPT A SOLDIER PROGRAM
LINDSBORG, Kan.—Soldiers stationed in Iraq recently enjoyed care packages from members of the Bethany and Lindsborg communities, sent as part of the Adopt a Soldier care-package drive.
“The packages are starting to roll in and they are a big hit,” wrote 1st Lieutenant Matthew Mattison, United States Army, in an email to his mother, Jo Ann Mattison, human resource director and payroll manager at Bethany College.
Lt. Mattison expressed his gratitude and wrote that the packages “definitely boosted morale.”
Since July, over 180 pounds of donations have been sent to soldiers through the Adopt a Soldier program, coordinated by Jo Ann Mattison; Marie Johnson, assistant director of financial aid at Bethany; and Noni Strand, Bethany campus pastor.
Lt. Mattison is part of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, a group deployed from Fort Riley, Kan., in February to serve in Baghdad for 15 months.
Community members are invited to continue to bring items for donation to Presser Hall on the Bethany College campus.
“Old magazines and paperback books are good things to donate. So are snacks and food items, even homemade things,” said Jo Ann Mattison. “Chocolate will melt in the desert heat, but anything else you send means a lot to these soldiers because it reminds them of where they’re from. The memory brings them home, just for a moment.”
Personal notes, cards and letters are also encouraged.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
In Picture: SPC Andrew Newey and PFC Sheila Fulton enjoy items from Adopt a Soldier care packages.
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