mike555

Rennlist members, it's the Christmas and Holiday Season. A time of caring and giving. John and Rennlist have graciously allowed me to post this request.

I was moved by 2 stories I recently heard. One directly and the other on the TV. Firstly, my oldest daughter is in a class with a boy who has a brother serving with the Canadian forces (joint with US troops) in Afghanistan. His cel telephone bill was $700 in October, calling home to keep in touch with family and friends. Also, on TV I saw a story about a couple of kids that raised several thousand dollars in their local community (in Indiana I think???) to help out a soldier from their town that rang up an $8000 phone bill.

This got me thinking and motivated. I have a friend that distributes pre-paid phone cards and may be able to give me a wholesale price on any sized purchase. What I'd like to do is ask for small donations from members/guests and friends - $5, $10 or ??? - to purchase pre-paid phone cards. All proceeds (after Paypal fees) would go to buy the cards and I would send them off via our troop support organizations. They would be distributed in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere I would think. I do not profit at all and would do all the leg work for nothing, not that it's that much anyway. Also, there's no tax deductions for me or any donor.

If you can, great. The easiest way to donate is through Paypal. I've setup a Paypal account - troopcalls@gmail.com. I'll post status updates with amounts and donor names if so desired. Anonymous is fine too. If not, that's OK too. Maybe you can help in other ways.

Feel free to email me directly or message me using the Rennlist message system. Thanks and happiest of Holidays to all!

Mike

mike555

I've posted this request elswhere as well and the response there has been great so far. Hopefully Rennlist members will do better and that it'll continue through to Christmas.


Comparing some of the most common cards that are reported to work well over there, the best case so far is $702 will enable 25 individuals to call from Iraq or Afghanistan to the U.S for up to 2 1/2 hours of talk time each. I'll keep searching for better alternatives. Good news is there are several support organizations that will accept the cards and distribute them in a timely manner to various locations within Iraq and Afghanistan .


Once purchased I'll send out confirmations to all donors so you can track the progress. Let's try to keep it up! I know the Rennlist members will do their best to help as well. Thanks to all,

Mike

Chris's Loss

As the mother of a young soldier serving in Iraq, I can tell you how precious those phone calls home are! There is nothing as comforting as hearing his voice.

I applaud your efforts and appreciate your support for our service men and women.

mike555

I can only say it's my pleasure. Once a year I try to do something different when it comes to charity. I thought this gesture would be particularly fitting, one that would deliver far more benefit than it's dollar value........

Again, I encourage Rennlist members to give whatever they can - $5 and $10 donations are more than welcome.

Given everyone's busy schedules and commitments at this time of year, I know it's hard to add yet another thing to the list. But I hope you'll find the time. Best of the Season to all,

Mike

mike555

Update....... I added some funds so we could make a full purchase of 2, 25 pack of cards. All donors check your emails for confirmation. Thanks again to all!!! And for those of you thinking of donating, please do. It's never too late and it would be great if we could do it for another 50 soldiers!

Mike

animal8526

man, I'll donate to this as soon as the gf's bonus clears. personally I spent about $9K on communicating home while I was in iraq.

I definitely support the phone cards, but I think paying for dumbass soldiers who run up their cellphone bills is screwed up. I ran up $1500 in two weeks during the beginning of my deployment... I didn't whine about paying it.

and yes, I am kinda bitter that some people get things handed to them when they deserve it no more than I. call it the evil eye. I am only human.

Jettasin00

https://thor.aafes.com/scs/default.aspx

this from the AAFES website. It is the store on Army and Air Force installations. They are given out by the Red Cross to service members serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Im currently serving in USAF in Belgium and have personnally used these cards many times. Plus once the minutes have been used they can recharge them.

mike555

....that's who I placed the first order with. It worked out really well. Now onto the next 50!!!!.......

mike555

OK folks. Looks like we're running out of steam heading into the Christmas week. I'd like to keep this thread going through the week and then end it. A huge thanks to all that have donated. I hope you all feel as good as I do about the gifts we're able to send to those in harm's way, a long way from home this Holiday Season.

For those of you contemplating a donation, please do. It would be great if we could deliver another batch of cards.

....and I'd like to say a special thanks to John D. for allowing me to post here and make the message as prominent as he has. We all owe him our continuing support at the very least.

Best of the Season to all,

Mike

mike555

Christmas Day update........

On Dec 17th, I bought 2-25 packs of calling cards for distribution by the Red Cross in Iraq and Afghanistan. The total for this was $1404.90. Since then, I've received another $332.58 (net of PayPal fees); so it looks like we might squeeze out another 25 pack before the week is out.

Again thanks to all of you for the kind donations. Let's try to keep them coming! To those of you "over there", stay safe.......

Mike

mike555

Dec. 28th....

Well it looks like I've taken this cause as far as I can. In the 20 days since I first posted, we've all raised a total of $1737 for the purchase of the calling cards. I think that's fantastic and you're all to be congratulated. I believe it's a great gesture and shows we care.

I'll continue to accept PayPal donations at troopcalls@gmail.com for a few days yet; but will no longer post on the topic. As in the past, all donors will receive direct email confirmation of the remaining purchase to be made. Any residual cash will be directly donated through the Red Cross.

Thanks again to all that have donated, to John D. for the space, and especially to all those in harm's way. All the Best for 2008 and beyond,

Mike

mike555

Jan 3/08.....

Revived??? See post directly below........

mike555

Well, I thought I had taken this effort as far as I could. However, in the last few days I've received emails from prior donors stating (in essence) that I should keep it going. I've aslo received additional donations. With all the demands we have, catching up after a busy and always costly holiday season and with the emphasis on what in my view is a remarkable outpouring for Warren Hall and his family, I'm a little reluctant to revive it. But it is a worthy cause.

While my initial investment in time was more than I had bargained for, it has paid off in ways that far exceed the time invested and monies donated. I've also managed to find what I believe is the most economical and efficient way of purchasing and getting the calling cards distributed. In other words, all the leg work has been done. So, if there are others that care to and can donate, I'll continue.

As in the past, each and every donor will be sent an email confirming purchases. Donations can be sent via PayPal to troopcalls@gmail.com . Any amount is acceptable and greatly appreciated. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, etc..


Here's the list of all donors to date:

$189.60 Mike R.
$10.00 K.C.
$50.00 Richard C.
$10.00 Chuck H.
$25.00 Matthew K.
$100.00 Rob McK.
$24.00 Mark W.
$25.00 Jonathan H.
$250.00 Anonymous
$100.00 Kirk E.
$50.00 Anonymous
$25.00 Keith C.
$25.00 Rex W.
$25.00 Daniel A.
$50.00 Don T.
$50.00 Warren S.
$20.00 Mike M.
$120.00 Jeffrey H.
$50.00 Mike Z.
$50.00 James T.
$100.00 Darrell E.
$25.00 Christian G.
$50.00 Mark S.
$25.00 Hudson B.
$25.00 J. M.
$15.00 Kirk F.
$20.00 Terry C.
$10.00 Mitchell L.
$100.00 Jeffrey C.
$25.00 Chris W.
$50.00 Vernon L.
$100.00 George M.
$20.00 Stephen M.
$100.00 Thomas W.

We've raised a total of $1853 net of fees.

So far, we've purchased total of 61, 550 minute pre-paid calling cards for distribution in Iraq and Afghanistan. These, under ideal conditions yield up to 2 1/2 hours total talk time each. Cost = $1707

Thanks again to all that contributed. Again, let's keep all those serving overseas in our thoughts,

Mike