During the first month of school, the 715 students of Baker Elementary (Pre-K to 4th grade) collected 2137 pairs of socks for the troops, an average of three pairs of socks per student. They also gathered over 100 letters written independently at home.
The “Socks for Soldiers” drive culminated in a third “patriotic assembly” for Baker Elementary, an annual tradition that began two years ago when registrar Leigh Moore reconnected with a friend serving in the Army as a chaplain. When Leigh discovered he was collecting freezer pops for troops in Iraq, she and the school leadership helped the kids collect 9,000 freezer pops. Last year they collected 3,000 rolls of Life Saver candies, which were given to deploying troops at the Dallas airport USO.
This year Leigh and her team wanted to collect something more need-based instead of merely fun. Looking at various troop support websites, her team was moved by what they saw at Soldiers’ Angels and decided to collect an item from the needed supplies list. Leigh says they chose socks because “It’s something the children could relate to and was affordable.”
For the patriotic assembly announcing the collection totals, the middle school drummers visited and joined the elementary Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts in leading a parade to the assembly hall, picking up each classroom of students as they passed through the halls. Attendance at the assembly included about 175 visitors such as military guests, veterans, parents and the school district’s supervisor.
The assembly began with a brief mention of the 9-11 Memorial, then focused on how the socks would “make life easier for the soldiers and let them know we are thinking about them,” Leigh reports. Children with military connections were invited to contribute a picture of family members who are active duty military or veterans, which was displayed during the assembly. The highlight of the event was the announcement of the total number of socks collected, which was accomplished by the gradual uncovering of each digit in the number 2,137.
Reactions to the assembly were powerful. Leigh reports that the children “roared” when the total of 2,137 socks was revealed. and Soldiers’ Angels Events Coordinator Twyla Choate, who was in attendance, was moved to tears at the size of the gift. Parents mentioned that they were very grateful to have experienced “that kind of assembly.”
Twyla presented the school with a Golden Wing Award for their amazing efforts, but the appreciation is mutual. Leigh has nothing but good things to say about her experience of working with Soldiers’ Angels. “It was so easy,” she says. She and her team were very moved by the many ways the organization supports the troops, and feel that it’s the perfect group to partner with for future troop support activities. “We’ve found our home,” she says.
Huge thanks to the parents, students and staff of Baker Elementary. What an amazing group of Angels and Angels-in-Training!
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2nd graders and their teacher lined up excitedly to join the patriotic assembly parade and discover how many Socks for Soldiers had been collected. (scroll down for more) |
Socks for Soldiers
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