Hilton Austin Team Member Gathers Care Packages For ‘Her Boys’ In The Field
AUSTIN, Texas (December 15, 2008) – Judy Love is pacing outside of the boss’s office and eyeing a stack of boxes she is anxious to get shipped to ‘her boys’ in the field in Afghanistan.
The boxes are filled with hotel-sized bottles of shampoo, mouthwash and bodywash, as well as compact toothbrushes, travel packets of toilet tissue, food bars, lip balm and powdered drinks. Much of it was donated by the Hilton Austin, her employer, and the rest purchased by her and her workout buddies at the gym.
“For the soldiers in the field, in combat, these items fit perfectly in their various pockets,” Ms. Love says. She is a breakfast waitress in Liberty Tavern at the hotel. She also is a member of Soldiers’ Angels ( www.soldiersangels.org ), an organization with approximately 200,000 members, who support troops in combat areas through 20 different programs. One of the ways she has chosen to support the troops is to send them care packages.
“We are very proud of Judy and the volunteer work she does. She is truly a soldier’s angel,” said Joe Bolash, Resident Manager of the Hilton Austin.
Ms. Love is always on task for her soldiers, whether it’s commandeering the usable, but no longer in rotation, hotel sheets for military hospitals, or convincing the boss to order an extra supply of travel-sized toiletries for her troops. She has adopted three individual soldiers in Afghanistan and a combat stress unit that she supports with several other Angels. She said the stress unit is comprised of mental health specialists and doctors who go into combat areas to assist soldiers dealing with the stresses of living in a combat environment, struggling with family issues back home, or requiring specialized treatment to reconstitute after traumatic events, such as having to kill the enemy and/or watch their buddies get killed in combat.
“I think a lot of people want to help support the soldiers, but don’t know how, or need someone to get it organized,” she said. “Soldiers’ Angels has it organized. “It’s a great way for persons who are retired or have outlived their families, to feel needed and useful. There are so many projects and so many different ways to help the soldiers. Their lives are so much more enriched and so are the soldiers’ lives.”
Ms. Love also volunteers at Blue Santa in Pflugerville. In her spare time she rides her classic 1977 Harley Superglide.
ABOUT SOLDIERS’ ANGELS:
Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of providing aide and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and their families. It is comprised of more than 200,000 volunteers who have sent tens of thousands of care packages and hundreds of thousands of letters to deployed service members; supplied the wounded with First Response Packs directly at the Combat Support Hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan and the major military hospital in Germany, as well as provided care and comfort to those in stateside military and VA facilities; provided emergency aid to military families in need; partnered with the Department of Defense to provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptops to over 2,600 severely-wounded servicemembers; provided flights to soldiers on leave or in emergency situations, and to their families wanting to be with them up return from overseas; provided KEVLAR armored blankets to give personnel extra protection in their vehicles when it was needed; and helped to honor the families whose loved ones have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and safety.
ABOUT HILTON AUSTIN:
The Hilton Austin, located at 500 E. 4th St, and adjacent to the Austin Convention Center, features Finn & Porter™, an upscale steak, seafood and sushi restaurant, (www.finnandporter.com/austin); Liberty Tavern™, a classic American grill; Java Jive On Fifth, a premium coffee outlet and The Tower Health Club & Spa, a full-service health club featuring spa services. To find out more about the Hilton Austin, please visit our website at www.austin.hilton.com.
ABOUT HILTON:
Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 3,000 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world's best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton®, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations®, Homewood Suites by Hilton® and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection®. The following service marks are owned by Hilton Hospitality, Inc.: Hilton®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations®, Homewood Suites by Hilton® and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection®. Conrad® Hotels & Resorts is owned by Conrad Hospitality, LLC.
