mike555

Fellow Rennlisters;

It's coming up to that time of year when our thoughts start to turn to the holiday season and loved ones near and far. As you may recall, I've organized 2 donation drives to raise money for the purchase of pre-paid calling cards for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They've been a great success, due in large part to the participation of Rennlist members and guests.

This effort was meant to be an annual event falling around the winter holiday season; however, with the encouragement of several donors, a summer version was completed as well in July with great results. This version falls somewhat on the heels of that drive. However, I'd like to start this one now to give us enough time to get some of the calling cards into the hands of those over there in time for Christmas. The timing is purely symbolic, but it's always nice to open presents, no matter where you are.

So, in these extremely difficult times for many of us at home, I ask that you again take the time to think of those serving overseas, think of what they're going through, and make a donation of any amount to help out. You cand send a PayPal donation of any amount to troopcalls@ultrapatriot.com . As before, I'll post donor first names and last name initials and amounts for all to see. If you prefer to stay anonymous, just let me know. All donors will receive direct email notifications when purchases are made.

IF you can't donate at this time, that's OK. Maybe you can help in other ways. Maybe you can spread the word to others and let them know they can help.

Feel free to drop me a line with any questions or comments via PM. Let's try keep the thread on topic. Kudos to John and the Rennlist crew for the time and space that has made this effort worthwhile. Without their help, I don't know where we'd be. All the best,

Mike



Donations in the order received:

Mike R. $100
Louis G. $100
Tim R. $75
Mark S. $50
Kevin R. $40
Mike M. $25
Mike Z. $50
Anonymous $300
Anonymous $25
Rick M. $25
Felix K. $10
John D. $100
Aaron R. $25
Mark F. $15
Anonymous $50
Michael S. $100
Noby T. $60
Kirk F. $20
Mitchell L. $25
Kirk P. $25
Mike P. $20
Nathan V. $25
Terry C. $40
Mark P. $50
Kirk E. $100
Matt R. $25
Wayne D. $50
Russell N. $25
Don T. $100
Paul G. $100
Vernon L. $25
Jason W. $50
Joseph R. $20
Jim H. $80
Daniel G. $25
Tom W. $100
George M. $200
Anonymous $300


Total = $2555

lgascoig

Glad to be up there (once you process my payment) and thanks for doing the work Mike! The easiest part of supporting our troops is to write a check. The hard part is doing what you're doing. The logistics of trying to send even a care package are somewhat of a pain so thank you very much for doing the hard part!

Jakerx

Sounds like a great plan.

However, how do we know that this is valid and not a scam? Is there a website or some other source of info?

Edit: I've been asked to delete this post; however; I will not. There are most likely others on this board who are only seeing/hearing about this for the first time. I think it is a wonderful cause. The least you can do to benefit this drive is to post links to previous threads and/or official information to help not only me, but others learn about this cause.

mike555

here are links to the original drives:

https://rennlist.com/forums/general-porsche-discussions-forum/442348-help-for-the-troops.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/911-forum/397143-help-for-our-troops.html

Jakerx

Great. I shall spread the word.

ibkevin

Good to hear Mike, this kind of fell under my radar.

ibkevin

..sorry for the double post, considering how renny has been running it's no surprise...

I'll get another check your way Mike -- I know how important this stuff is, two Xmases in the Gulf away from family is not exactly the trophy you put on the mantle... And I Thank the Canucks for the "you're money is no good here" hospitality at the on-board lounge during our brief port visits while being restricted to the pier.

A bunch of good folks up your way!!!!

edit -- I have a new function, now if my subscription holds I'll be really impressed!

I love porsche

how much do each of these calling cards cost? and how much time is on them?

mike555

We purchase 25-packs of ATT Global Military pre-paid cards for $693. This includes the cost of the cards, handling, shipping and distribution overseas. Each card yields up to 2 1/2hrs of talk time to North America. They can be used on any landlines and most cel phones as well.

There are cheaper alternatives; but all things considered, it's the most efficient and manageable package I've found. The response from service men and women, along with their families, has been great. For reference, click on the link to the last drive (in the initial post) and you'll fnd more info as well. Hope this helps.

Mike

SchnellerUmsetzer

Thanks

CarreraX

Mike, that is a very nice thing you are doing! Thanks.

tetzlafh

Excellent work. Glad to see this as a regular occurrence here on Rennlist. As a USAF Voice Systems Technician i know how much these phones mean to our deployed forces "in the sandbox". Having the means to be able to jump on the phone for the allotted times per week to phone home means a lot to anyone down range. I guess as these cards are distributed my teams and I will ensure we have working phones so these cards are of use!

RoadWarrior19

Mike, I just added some to the drive. Thanks for pursuing this!

Michael

I love porsche

bump

mike555

We're past the halfway point in this season's donation drive. With luck we'll meet and surpass last winter's total of $1853. However, we have about 3 weeks or so to do it and need all the help we can get. We've had 600+ views of the thread. So, I'd like to nudge those "lookers" to step up and give what you can. Again, any sized donation is appreciated, even the spare dollar in your Paypal account. Every bit will help.

At this point, I'd like to dedicate the effort of this drive to a fellow Porsche enthusiast, and 2-time donor, Kirk E. His son Brennan Gibson was killed in action in Baghdad on December 10, 2006. A young man of 26, taken far too early. I can't imagine the loss Kirk and his family experienced. Surely he's already given too much; however, Kirk continues to support Brennan's fellow soldiers through efforts like ours and others. Let's show him, all military parents and the soldiers that we care as well. The cards we purchase will be donated in Brennan's memory on behalf of all donors.

So, let's add to the good work we've done so far and make a difference again this Holiday Season.....

Thanks again to all and let's kick it up a notch!

Mike

p.s. There will be a 20% price reduction on the pre-paid cards we buy starting December 15th. This combined with a substantial reduction in the shipping/handling costs will mean more cards in more hands for the same amount of money. Donors, more on this as we get closer to purchase time.