Disney, Army resort offer affordable vacations for troops

by William Bradner
American Forces Press Service

1/8/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- A Disney vacation just got more affordable for military members and their families.

With the "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" offer, active and retired military personnel, including active members of the Coast Guard and activated members of the National Guard or Reserve, can enjoy complimentary, multiday admission into Disney's U.S. theme parks, and additional special ticket offers for family members and friends.

At the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, from Jan. 4 to Dec. 23 each active or retired member of the U.S. military may obtain one free five-day "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" ticket with "Park Hopper" and water park options. The ticket is valid for five days of admission into the four Walt Disney World theme parks, plus a total of five visits to a choice of a Disney water park, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park or certain other attractions.

During this offer period, active or retired U.S. military personnel also may make a one-time purchase up to five "Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion" tickets -- good for five days -- for $99 each, plus tax, for family members or friends. Although this ticket for family members and friends does not include either the Park Hopper or Water Park Fun and More options, it can be upgraded to add either such option, or both, for an additional $25, plus tax, per option. All tickets and options are nontransferable and must be (READ MORE)

Holiday Mail for Heroes

I heard from someone involved with this program today to thank me for getting the word out about them & to let me know that they exceded their goal of 1 million cards sent to the troops. AWESOME! I would like to thank my readers for your participation in this program & your continued support for our troops. Please watch the video to see how they did.

Phones Donated to Troops Stolen

December 25, 2008
The Record, Bergen County, NJ

TRENTON, N.J. -- A box of cell phones and cards meant as a Christmas gift for troops was stolen from a state legislator's office over the weekend.

Thieves took about 40 to 50 of the one-use cell phones and phone cards from the office of Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Princeton, he said Monday. The package was going to be the second shipment of phones heading toward Afghanistan and Iraq via Fort Dix.

Constituents donated the items so that troops could call home over the holidays.

"This is the Grinch who stole Christmas, but this time it's from the troops," he said. "It puts a damper on the holiday spirit."

The offices were ransacked, a front window was broken, and a computer, a space heater, and a camera were also stolen, Gusciora said.

Police are investigating the burglary, he said.

The phones were donated as part of a nationwide effort called Cell Phones for Soldiers. The charity's Web site is cellphonesforsoldiers.com.

HBO DONATION TO THE TROOPS

HBO will donate in your name. Go to this link and then to “troop drive” and then click Support the Troops and follow the instructions. Turn ur volume down as it gets a bit loud. Once per email address.

http://www.hbo.com/generationkill/

The donation drive will continue through the finale of the miniseries on August 24th, with all donations being shipped overseas in the fall.

Thank you for your support!!

Some News to share.....

Thought you all might like to know that some of the service members that we have been sending cards to over the past few months have returned home with a few to return soon. Some have given me the names of their replacements so that the hospitals will continue to receive cards for several months to come. The emails I have shared here show how important this seemingly simple project has been to our men & women serving overseas. I will be collecting cards at Original Rubber Stamp Convention in San Jose this weekend & hopefully will continue to get cards mailed to me by those who have been with us since the beginning & many new card makers. Also please remember that we do take store bought cards also so if you wish to participate & do not make cards then you can send ones you buy along too. Maybe you have Christmas cards from past years laying around? Just please make sure that you have envelopes to go with the cards & that the glue is still good. We also need Cards written out to them, thanking them for their service......words of encouragement....plus Holiday cards to them are also needed. Remember........they aren't going to be spending the holidays with their families & friends.

Also.......Operation: MOM is doing a fundraiser for our Holiday Packages to the Troops. We are having a Spaghetti Feed & are looking for donations to use for raffle prizes. All the proceeds from this event will go for the Holiday Packing. We will also be collecting items to put in the boxes for this packing. You can see what is needed on this Christmas Wish List......thank you in advance for any help you can give us.

I did some stamping.....finally

Operation: MOM will have the packing for the troops next weekend on the 7th & I thought it would be a good idea to personally invite all the local recruiters to stop by & say hello.....maybe pack a box or two. I found this sketch (it's a tri-fold) on Maria's site and thought it was perfect for what I needed. Finished em up at 11Pm last nite & Steve is hand delivering 5 of em. We mailed the other 3. Hope they like em & come. Hope you like it too......let me know what you think.

A Bit of Catching up

Well I put cards together & sorted all day yesterday so no blogging for me. I have pretty much (remember I said "pretty much" as I know I still have a couple more here to do) gotten all caught up with the new cards coming in so I wanted to get some pictures posted before I go back to sorting. From what I have been told I still have over 1000 cards coming in for this packing. I'm gonna be busy for sure.

Thanks to Linda.....I had to take 3 shots to get all the cards in there were so many




Thanks to Janis. for her great cards (I do have more yet to photograph too)

These are from Leesa.....thank you so much

Lori sent these....aren't they great?

And these came all the way from TX from Melody....thanks so much

Here is what the total sorted looks like so far.

And last but certainly not least is some products sent by my dear friend Mary....totally awesome.

This is all so welcome.......and I know the troops will definately appreciate it all. Will post any photo's & emails I get here. Keep em coming!!

MY WEEKEND REPORT

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours was pretty nice around here. Friday evening we ran out to drop off some postcards I had made up for the Balsley's & then we went out to Super Joann's so I could pick up a few things (more paper, gel pens, stamps, felt flowers) & then to Wingstop for dinner. After that we ran into WalMart to get some food for Cocoa & I found some cutting mats to use for my Wishblade to make new mats.....they will accommodate 12" long paper. Then headed home for the evening.

Saturday morning I needed to get my lab work done......I was overdue....2 sticks this time. Ouch! I sure hate that. Gotta make sure the meds aren't doing bad things to me. From there we stopped by a house that is down the street from us.....we had noticed a Blue Star Banner in the window......it had 3 stars. We seriously had to shake these peoples hands. We met the most amazing lady......she was a widow & lived alone. She invited us in. Her husband had been Navy......he passed away a couple of years ago....she flies the American Flag every day for him. Her daughter has been in the Navy for 21 years....is now a Commander & will retire in a couple of years. The other 2 stars were for her Grandson & Granddaughter. We spent about an hour & a half there looking at pictures & listening to her stories. Time very well spent & I asked if she minded if we came back. She said yes.....I will take some of my pictures & scrapbooks with me when I return.

Next we stopped at Michael's as I am looking for a runner for my Fiskars cutter but they didn't have what I needed so we grabbed some flag stuff (hats & blow up ball with streamers) to decorate booth for tomorrow''s Drop off Depot. Steve got a couple things he needed too. From there we went to Lowe's looking for a couple of things & found an end table we needed..... it's one with a lamp in it. Steve is very happy as he can sit at that end of the couch & read without glaring light above. Then we stopped at Party America as we were gonna buy some balloons to decorate the booth also but didnt' find what we wanted so came home to get some chores done around the house. Before the stores closed we went to Sears to get some red/white/blue fold up chairs for Sunday also.

Sunday morning we woke up bright & early to get ready to head out to work Operation: Mom's Drop off Depot booth (one of 2 locations). We collected cash donations, sold some products & collected food & hygiene products to send to the troops in our upcoming troop packing. We met some great people........some vets, some parents of servicemembers & just some awesome citizens who love our troops & what they do. Between the 2 locations we collected $1256. which will help with postage & both food & hygiene products to put in the boxes. Still could use more if you wish to help. Check here for what items are needed. Was a long but satisfying day.

On the way home we grabbed some Subway sandwiches to have dinner. We were wiped out for sure. Watched Army Wives & then off to slumberland. Sure wish today would have been a weekend day so Steve wouldn't have had to go to work. They started street work here today so I will be smelling hot tar & hearing all those loud noises all week. How fun.

Hope you had a great weekend & a good week to come. Show the troops some love!!

And we did hear from "The Communicator" but nothing new for him.....he had weekend pass so I prolly didn't want to know.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

Please take a few moments to send some love to our guys & gals.......you don't even have to use a stamp (postage or rubber).

Thank the TroopsAnd Tell Us What You Are Doing to Support the Troops

On June 15th I posted SHOW THE MARINES SOME LOVE & SUPPORT . This is still ongoing & more emails are wanted. Show these Marines how much what they are doing means to you.
Remember, the email address is:
RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil
Don't forget their blog, either.

They're Proud to Serve

This was in our paper today.......
In Iraq, semper fidelis
Despite the public's waning support for the war, Marines' morale remains high.

and then I had this emailed to me & thought it was worth sharing.....
Groups Turning Against al-Qaeda and Joining Forces With Coalition


I never heard from 'the boy' today so not sure where he is tonite.

Have a good week everyone.

GOOD NEWS FOR TODAY......

Security efforts assist market re-openings, electricity supply

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building 12 new schools

FIFTEEN MONTHS AND COUNTING

From Badger's Forward:
6 Days

For my Canadian Friends:
Soldier's mom urges people to send care packages to Afghanistan

See how much they give up for you!!

Had to share this photo.......Hey, I didn't say it....

Email from Victor in Iraq from May 27th

May 27, 2007

Hello Everyone:
Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and support for ustroops here in Iraq/Afghanistan. It has been in the 100's (115-120degrees to be more exact) here in Baghdad. If you send any chocolate,make sure it is candy coated (M&Ms/Reeces Pieces) or they will notsurvive the trip. We got a couple of small water pistols and have beenplaying around with them. Water definitely makes the heat bearable.My Dad and brother are sending me a battery powered drill and saw. I amgoing to use them on a couple of projects. They should be handy when Igo to the scout area clean up in mid June (I don't think they have powerin that area). I should have plenty of cookies to give to the Iraqi GirlScouts for their fundraiser on 7 June. I am going to help with their baseball camp in early June. I don't know what kind of equipment theyhave and am considering June my green entry phase into the organization.They said I can take pictures of the events so by mid June, expect tosee some. I am also going to try to bring some things for these kidstoo. The Iraqi Scouts Green Zone Council has a website with a link with pictures. It is as follows: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GZC_IraqiScouts We still struggle with our minimal staff and we still maintain a busy schedule. I still manage to get the med supplies ordered and picked up.The heat don't help with this effort either. Now that I got my forklift licenses, I won't have to wait for my pallets to get downloaded from thetruck. I will say it is nice to get out of the OR for a couple days eachweek to pick up supplies.They are letting the families stay a few more weeks. This will at leastallow the kids to finish the school year. Many families will also still remain here. They are the families of the Iraqi military members andgovernment officials (the ones in most danger).I thought I would send some pictures of my children today. They are allgetting so big and doing good.We are still hopeful for the safe return of the missing US Soldiers.Please keep them and their families in your prayers.
Thank You,
VICTOR

Email from Victor in Iraq from May 25th

I asked permission to reprint these as I thought other's might like to hear what other things are being done over there.....Hope you enjoy reading them. I will be posting them as received.

May 25, 2007

Hello Everyone:

The scouts meeting was pretty good. I did not realize how bigthe organization has gotten here. There are several councils throughoutIraq and they are going to try to send some of the scouts to the ScoutJamborie in the UK. Unless anybody minds, I was planning to give theIraqi girl scouts some of the cookies that have been sent to us. Theyare doing a cookie sale on the 7/8th of June. The proceeds go to thescouts. I am going to try to go to the clean-up detail at the scoutgrounds next month to see what the area looks like. They also have acouple of activity weeks lined up...of course they are during my workschedule. I have attached some more pictures from last week. Thanks againeveryone for sending things. 4th of July is coming up and the OR intends to win thedecorating contest. We have won every other contest and now everyone isgunning for us...especially after we took the commanders cup in lastmonths organizational day. I know its early, but if you see 4th Julydecorations or have excess, there is a place here for them. I hope everyone has a great summer. With the little extra moneyI'm making here, my wife and kids are going to Florida next month.Should be a great time for them and they deserve it. God Bless you all and take care.

Thank You,

VICTOR

Card Contest deadline coming up....& BLOG CANDY

Less than a week to go to enter Kyla's contest....they must be received by May 15th. Prizes are Gift Certificates for Stampin UP & eclectic paperie. Good luck to all entrants.

Make sure you check out my Other Blog....have been putting pictures up & make sure you try to win the blog candy.

Needing Father's Day cards right now....must send out by end of May. Also if you can get some cards to me by Monday for Armed Forces Day that would be greatly appreciated by me as well as the troops. Just a card with some words of encouragment & appreciation is all you need. Let me know you are sending em so I can hold off my shipment. Thanks

Another way to help with Cards for the Troops

More exciting news. Another wonderful person by the name of Laura O'Shea has made another offer to help out with the Cards for the Troops project. This will allow non-cardmakers an opportunity to help out. She makes cards to sell & has set it up to donate a card to the troops for each card sold. If you do not want to buy a card for yourself she will give a 20% discount for cards purchased to donate. Check out her site, Whirlpool of Imagination, for more information. This will go thru the month of May......hope you can help out.

Card Contest in Progress

EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE!!!
I got an email from Kyla Maestas (a Stampin' Up Demo from WY) telling me she not only wanted to participate in the Cards for Troops project but she wanted to know if it was ok to promote a contest to get more cards to send. Well what do you think I said?? YaHOO! The contest is officially started today & all the information you will need is on her blog, Kyla Maestas~Sweetwater Designs. RUN, RUN, RUN to go check it out. Good luck to all.

NO HALLMARK STORES IN IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN!

I am a member of Operation Mom, a support group for families & friends of active duty servicemembers. My only son (our only child actually) is in the US ARMY. We send packages overseas to the troops (we get names from families & friends plus we have contact names over there who hand goodies out) & also put cards in the packages to them & for them to send home to their loved ones. Cards needed right now are All Occasion Cards (Happy Birthday, Thinking of You, Hello, Friend, Missing you & kids cards for them to send to their children at home) by end of June (next mailing will be end of September). These cards should be blank inside for the service member to write inside to their loved ones, must be with regular envelopes...back of card tucked into envie (no clear ones please) & if you do do dark paper please put light color insert so they can write on that. We always want Thank you cards from you TO the troops....with a personal note inside (thank you for your service, you are in my prayers, hope you come home to your loved ones soon, etc). Due to security issues these envelopes (envelopes are not required for the thank you cards to them if you don't want to put them in one) must be unsealed & if you would like a response (no guarantee on this as they are a bit busy over there but I did get 2 cards at Christmas & several emails this past mailing) you can put your return address on the envelope or include your email address inside (I have been getting emails). We can also always use Sympathy cards. This would be a great way to use the swap cards you accumulate. If you are interested in participating please email me with any questions you may have or to ask for the address to mail the cards to: pfcrensmom-cardsfortroops@yahoo.com (please don't disrespect the troops by using this email to send spam!). This will be a year round project. http://dddzstmpn.blogspot.com