Banner Hanging at the 2013 Face of America bike ride

Banner Hanging at the 2013 Face of America bike ride, a set on Flickr.

Here's the pics we took :) had a great time volunteering!!

Ready for the Face of America bike ride! Many,many Thanks! to all the Banner makers!!

More banners came in within the past few weeks!

some from family members..

                               
                               and these were from the great folks at United Cerebral Palsy of Eastern Connecticut !

                                 
                                and these banners were from some great kids at
                                   Roundy Elementary school in Las Vegas, NV !

 Can't say Thank you! enough to all the great banner makers! :)

and now, the weekend of the World TEAM sports Face of America bicycle ride is upon us!!

More to come after the weekend!!

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Anund C. Roark 20 years old from Vallejo, California Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division February 17, 1948 - May 16, 1968   The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Sergeant Anund Charles Roark, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 16 May 1968. Sergeant Roark was the point squad leader of a small force which had the mission of rescuing 11 men in a hilltop observation post under heavy attack by a company-size force, approximately 1,000 meters from the battalion perimeter. As lead elements of the relief force reached the besieged observation post, intense automatic weapons fire from enemy occupied bunkers halted their movement. Without hesitation, Sergeant Roark maneuvered his squad, repeatedly exposing himself to withering enemy fire to hurl grenades and direct the fire of his squad to gain fire superiority and cover the withdrawal of the outpost and evacuation of its casualties. Frustrated in their effort to overrun the position, the enemy swept the hilltop with small arms and volleys of grenades. Seeing a grenade land in the midst of his men, Sergeant Roark, with complete disregard for his safety, hurled himself upon the grenade, absorbing its blast with his body. Sergeant Roark's magnificent leadership and dauntless courage saved the lives of many of his comrades and were the inspiration for the successful relief of the outpost. His actions which culminated in the supreme sacrifice of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit on himself and the United States Army.     These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

 

The 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

National Volunteer Week is April 21-27th.

As in years past on this blog, I'm celebrating the spirit of volunteerism by sharing the stories of some state honorees with the Prudential Spirit of Community awards program. 

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Since 1995, more than 345,000 young Americans have participated in the program. Each year, the program’s judges select 102 State Honorees to receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where, on May 6th, 10 of them will be named National Honorees. You can watch the live webcast of the May 6^th event here
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Because this blog is a milblog, out of the many, many outstanding young people who have been chosen as state honorees, I like to feature particularly those young people who have worked to support the U.S.Military.

They are:

Eric Curl 14, of Flower Mound, Texas, an eighth-grader at Shadow Ridge Middle School, purchased and collected supplies that are needed, but not always available, for wounded soldiers in Afghanistan. Eric had earlier helped out at a USO appreciation event for servicemen as they prepared to depart for Afghanistan. “I was inspired that day by the soldiers I spent time with,” he said. “They are our heroes.” So when he later learned that military medical units overseas often lacked certain supplies needed for the care of wounded troops, “I knew I had to step in and take on this opportunity,” said Eric.

He reached out to a nonprofit organization called Soldiers’ Angels to identify the specific items needed and find out where to send them. He asked friends and family members to help him collect donated items and contributions from local businesses and community members, and organized a car wash to buy additional supplies and pay for shipping. Eric had planned on securing enough supplies – including sheets for evacuation gurneys, sweat suits for evacuating soldiers, and personal comfort items – for 50 service members, but ended up with enough to help hundreds. He then recruited adults and fellow Boy Scouts to help sort and package the supplies. “I will never know the names of the soldiers I was able to help,” said Eric. But “there is no way we as citizens of the U.S. can thank them enough.”

 

and

 

Darlee Hyatt 19, of Riverton, Wyo., a senior at Wind River Middle/High School, helped raise $20,000 over the past two years for veterans and people with cancer in her community by working on an annual week of fundraising activities at her school. The first year, when her school began planning an event to assist two local women who were fighting cancer, Darlee immediately jumped in to help. “I felt it was important to be part of a group who touched the lives of others in a positive way,” she said. The $10,000 raised was split evenly between the two women to help pay for treatment and other needs.

Darlee was even more motivated the following year when the school chose local veterans to be the beneficiaries of its fundraising, since her cousin had served two tours in Iraq. Darlee helped plan the week of fundraising activities, visited local businesses to seek donations, and helped conduct a silent auction during boys and girls basketball games. Again, the week produced $10,000, which went to support the families of two local military veterans. Darlee has volunteered to be the main organizer of this year’s event. “I love the idea of helping someone when they need it most,” she said.

 

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It is always a privilege to be invited by the Prudential Spirit of Community awards to share the stories of these inspiring young volunteers like Eric and Darlee, and it's always so uplifting to hear how these young people have worked to support the U.S.military service men and women.

 

If you'd like to learn more about this year's honorees, you can go by the awards website ,  or 'like' their page on Facebook , or follow on Twitter , or check out their YouTube channel   for interviews with past honorees.

 

Many thanks,to this wonderful program that recognizes the extraordinary volunteers among young people each year! and many thanks for contacting this blog again to help share their stories.

 

 

 

Wednesday Hero

Senior Airman Austin Stoker    Senior Airman Austin Stoker replenishes a .50-caliber machine gun after a training mission in Afghanistan in March. Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force taken by Tech. Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr.


 These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives just so others may get to enjoy freedom. For that I am proud to call them Hero.

Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

More Banners Received !

Many Thanks! go out to:  Family members :)

and two more from the Glastonbury Junior Women's Club

and more Family members :)

These banners will be used to cheer on the riders in the
2013 World TEAM sports Face of America bike ride

Thank you again! to all the banner makers :)