Peru 2012- Donations

We are starting to collect supplies in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas area for the 820th RED HORSE's upcoming deployment to Peru. If you are interested in helping out by collecting or donating basic school supplies (pencils, lined paper, notebooks, crayons, erasers) let me know! You can email me at operationkitsforkids@gmail.com

Boxes to Panama

A BIG thank you to Col Daniels of the 820th REDHORSE squadron, we have been able to get an address and send some supplies off to an area in Panama. Currently in Panama, they (REDHORSE) are building school buildings and medical facilities for the local communities. Their work is a true blessing to the people of that community, and their impact will be life lasting. We sent off a bunch of supplies for the kiddos there yesterday, and hope to be able to support them as needed in the future. The pictures below show some of the supplies sent, as well as a picture provided by Col Daniels of the kiddos we are helping.

Like always, thank you for sticking with and supporting OpKFK...and thank you to all those who have served or are serving this great country of ours!

Great News-Great People

Some GREAT news and information to share with all the OpKFK supporters!

I recieved an email this morning from TSgt Frick informing me that another delivery is going to be made either today or tomorrow! He also informed me that the first delivery was set up and completed by Lt Colonel Holm and one of his old friends from high school. Together, they run a children's charity (www.globalroots.org) and have the same (plus many more) ideas in mind for helping those children in Afghanistan and throughout the world.

I am still working on pictures to get up here on our blog (from the first and second deliveries), but if you go to Lt Colonel Holm's organization website (www.globalroots.org) you can click on the section 'Supply Mission to Afghanistan' OR read at the bottom under 'BREAKING NEWS' to hear about the first delivery!

I am so thankful to everyone that has been involved in keeping me informed and keeping this great cause going over in Afghanistan. Those men and women have a million things to do while deployed over there, and for them to take the time and do such wonderful things for these children is truly an amazing blessing. Also, a BIG thank you to all of you who have collected and sent supplies!

Keep collecting! Keep sending!

We ARE making a difference...one pencil at a time =)

*stay tuned for pictures and an updated address to send supplies to*

DELIVERY!

Thanks to the amazing group working with us over in Afghanistan the supplies were delivered a week or so ago to a orphanage/school in Kabul. TSgt Frick is currently trying to round up pictures and a video of the delivery, and once I get that from him I will get them posted.

I can't thank this group enough for all their help with OpKFK. They have so much going on over in Afghanistan right now, and for them to take the time to organize/execute these deliveries is just such a blessing!

Stay tuned for pictures and videos of the delivery.

Picture from Afghanistan

Just to share...this is a picture that Rob sent me of the supplies that he's received, organized, & packed up. He will be delivering them to the kids within the next few weeks. Thanks to all of you for your donations and a big THANK YOU to Rob over in Afghanistan!

Keep the supplies coming!

Rob, over in Afghanistan, sent me an email today about the upcoming delivery he will be making. He said that he is ABSOLUTELY AMAZED at the amount of supplies he has received, and has found several volunteers to keep the cause going once he leaves Afghanistan. We are very excited to get this report from Rob and have all of you out there to thank! Thank you for all of your support and donations...let's keep OpKFK going and growing!

A few things to note:
* We are now focusing on JUST sending supplies...NO kits. Rob discovered it is more cost effective and easier to transport to the kiddos when the supplies are NOT in bags. So when you send items just pack them into boxes and ship them off.

* Rob will be leaving the area within the next month so please send any supplies to the address below from now on.

Dave Frick
AEAG - KAIA
APO AE 09354

Thank you again for you support & donations!

Still Truckin' Along!

Since the last posting we have sent a number of packages over to Rob in Afghanistan. We have heard others have as well. Rob is planning on making a delivery to the schools sometime in mid-November. If you are planning on mailing a package PLEASE do so within the next week so that it makes it in time for his delivery.

Thank you so much for your continued support in our effort to help the children in Afghanistan.

Below is the mailing address and the 3 ways you can help!

Rob Grover
AEAG - KAIA,
APO, AE 09354
------------------------------------------------
3 Ways to Get Involved!

#1- Send any school supplies that you can to the address above...these children would appreciate and utilize any supplies you are able to donate to them.

#2-MAKE SOME KITS! Here's what to put inside each one...
-Spiral notebook
-box of crayons
-5 pencils WITH a pencil sharpender OR 5 mechanical pencils
-eraser
-small toy
-small snack (box of raisins, fruit snack, etc)
-big ziplock baggie to put all the stuff in

#3- Donate money for supplies to be purchased and kits to be made. If you are interested in this option please email me at operationkitsforkids@gmail.com

Round #1 is on it's way!

4 boxes were sent on Thursday and are on their way to Afghanistan, and another 3 will be on their way this coming Tuesday!

I know SO MANY OTHERS have put things together and are going to be shipping soon AND a lot of buisnesses, schools, and organizations are getting involved as well!

Thank you all for supporting this project! Let's stay motivated and get those packages rolling!

For 'Getting Involved' and shipping information scroll down and see the 'WE GOT THE ADDRESS' posting

Thank you HERO ON MY ARM!

A quick and BIG thanks to Hero On My Arm (Military uniform purses & gifts) for promoting our Operation on their website. We appreciate it SO VERY much! Please check out their website if you get the chance...they are a GREAT company and do amazing things for our men and women in uniform.

website:
www.heroonmyarm.com/vanessapeel

blog:
www.heroonmyarm.blogspot.com

WE GOT THE ADDRESS!!!!

Good News!

We have the address and a GREAT contact over in Afghanistan. His name is Rob (a Major in the US Air Force) and unknowingly to us has already started a school supply collection over there. The timing is great, and now we can all collaborate together to make great things happen!

Here is the address that all Kits will be sent to. Again, you can fit about 7 kits in the large flat-rate boxes at the post office and they will give you a discounted price ($11 and some change) since it is going overseas.

Rob Grover
AEAG - KAIA,
APO, AE 09354

3 Ways to Get Involved!

#1- Send any school supplies that you can to the address above...these children would appreciate and utilize any supplies you are able to donate to them.

#2-MAKE SOME KITS! Here's what to put inside each one...
-Spiral notebook
-box of crayons
-5 pencils WITH a pencil sharpender OR 5 mechanical pencils
-eraser
-small toy
-small snack (box of raisins, fruit snack, etc)
-big ziplock baggie to put all the stuff in

#3- Donate money for supplies to be purchased and kits to be made. If you are interested in this option please email me at operationkitsforkids@gmail.com

I would like to give a big THANKS again to Rob...we SO HAPPY to start working with him, and with all of us working together we can truly make a difference in the lives of the Afghan children :)

A Great Way to Donate

I have had some inquiries over the past few days about people wanting to make donations by paying for a certain number of 'kits' to be made. I averaged everything out that I have bought so far, and each kit costs $3. That includes all 7 elements listed below & .60 cents toward shipping (7 per box and each large flat rate box ships for just under $12).

SO. If you would like to help our cause BUT don't have the time to put the packages together yourself...you can just send us a donation and we will make the corresponding number of kits for you :)

Please email me at operationkitsforkids@gmail.com if you are interested in donating

Facebook & Twitter

We are now up and running on both Facebook & Twitter!
So if you have an account on either...'Become a fan' OR 'Follow' us :)

A BIG thanks to Clay Hodge (a board member & blogger for the Air Force Academy Quarterback Club of Denver) for posting about Op KFK on the club's blog! We appreciate the support so much :)

Here is a link to the posting if you'd like to check it out OR if you want to see how those Fighting Falcons are doing!
http://afaqbcdenver.blogspot.com/2009/08/former-falcon-football-player-helping.html

Waiting on the details

Just to keep everyone posted...
We are still figuring out the details over in Afghanistan, but hopefully within the next week we'll get an address and an official 'contact'. From that point we'll send our first round of packages over and go from there :)

We are VERY excited because the support for this cause, so far, has been great! Thank you all SOOOO much and check back every few days for updated information!

First Round in Production!

Just wanted to share some photos. I started putting together the first 'round' of School Kits today! As soon as John Blake (my husband) gets a few things taken care of over in Afghanistan we will get the needed information and have the first round of kits on there way!

Just checked Wal-Mart today...here were their prices
*spiral notebooks = 15 cents each
*box of crayons = 25 cents each
*10 pack of play-doe mini's = $4
*6 pack of erasers = $1
*24 pack of pencils = $2
*pencil sharpener = 50 cents each
*boxes of raisins= $1.38 for a pack of 6 (instead of candy)

The Beginnings and the "School Kit"

As I mentioned above this Operation is in its 'BABY' stages. We are hoping, though, to get it going so that we can help as many children in Afghanistan as possible! We came up with the idea because we have heard of various operations in Iraq being done, and we thought 'hey...we should start something in Afghanistan'. So...here we are! My husband is deployed over in Afghanistan right now, and is working on some details that will allow us to start sending packages full of 'kits' to then be distributed among the towns there. Our goal, at first, is to send 'school kits' to the children. They are having all these new schools, churches, etc being build; but they have no access to supplies to use in them. That is where we will come in! Below is a 'list' of what we are thinking of for each kit. Each kit will be placed in a zip-lock baggie for easy shipping and delivery convience.



School Kits:

• 1 spiral notebook
  
• 1 eraser


• 1 box of crayons
  
• 5 pencils


• 1 pencil sharpener


• a small toy-optional


• a piece of candy/box of raisins/fruit snacks (something that won't melt)-optional

This above list is just the suggested minimum. If you would like to include MORE of a specific item, please feel free. The more we can give...the more the children will benefit :)

I will post again with the mailing address for the items. If you are able to get a few families together to each make kits (say 5 per family) that would be great! You can even take the information to your church (or any group you meet with regularly; bunko, poker, book clubs, coffee groups, etc). Once all the items are collected everyone can pitch in a dollar or two for shipping and the packages can be on their way! The post office offers special discounts for 'flat-rate' boxes going overseas to a US base. Once they see the address the discount will be taken off automatically.

Questions? Comments? You can email me at: operationkitsforkids@gmail.com