I would like to thank you all for your generosity over the last months of 2005. With the help of the Independence Lions Club, American Legion and VFW and the Vinton Lions Club we shipped thousands of pairs of shoes to Afghanistan in October and November last year. At this point I do not have an exact number of shoes that have left the Vinton, IA post office bound for Afghanistan but I can guarantee that it is 10,000 pairs or more.
To think in numbers like that amazes me all these shoes have been shipped on donations alone, all the boxing and packaging has been done by a dedicated group of volunteers, and the distribution by our soldiers. Our men and women serving our country have had the opportunity to put shoes on the feet of over 10,000 children. 10,000 pairs of feet did not have to walk barefoot in the snow, that small act of kindness is what changes the world. Each day I am thankful that my father and Mark saw a need and asked for help. I am glad I was able to answer that call.
I would like to share a letter I received from the Bagram PRT Commander this last week:
6 February 2006
Bagram PRT Commander
Ms. Jenni Birker
Shoes for Kids
2002 62nd St
Garrison, IA 52229
Dear Ms. Birker:
I sincerely thank you for your donation fo shoes to the children of Afghanistan and to express my gratitude for your support for the Coalition Forces and our mission here in Afghanistan.
The Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) delivered your humanitarian civic assistance items, as we call them, to children in the district of Kohband in the province of Kapisaon 7 December 2005. The shoes were greatly appreciated. The living conditions for the vast majority of people in Afghanistan are quite different than those to which the vast majority of US citizens are accustomed. Despite the lack of infrastructure in terms of water and sewage, power, paved roads, etc., the will and spirit of the Afghan people are rock solid. The Afghan people are proud and strong. They are great partners in bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to this region. The Bagram PRT is one of numerous PRTs in the country somprised of Soliders, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, US civilian agencies, and in our case - Soldiers from the Republic of Korea Army, designed to facilitate provincial development, security, and reconstruction.
On behalf of all the members of the PRT, thank you for your support. One Team!
Sincerely,
George P. McDonnell
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Commanding
As the snow melts and the passes begin to open again in Afghanistan we are looking to begin another drive for shoes and donations. I urge you all to look inside your hearts and your closets and see if you have a pair of shoes and a dollar to spare.
July 15, 2005
My how time does fly. Our Shoes for Kids program is coming up on it's first Anniversary, and in such a such amount of time we have accomplished more than I ever dreamed possible.
My involvement with this program began with a single email from my father "Help I need 300 pairs of shoes, winter is in 3 months." Our initial goal of 300 pairs of shoes was accomplished and surpassed in a little less than a month from our begining. Because of all the generosity that surrounds us there are more than 7,000 children that will not have to suffer from frostbite this winter. That is an amazing accomplishment. Those 7,000 pairs of shoes came straight from all of you. They remained idle only long enough to pass through the hands of our generous volunteers who donated many hours to the sorting, cleaning, and boxing of the shoes. Once they left my care they arrived in Afghanistan for more sorting, this time by size and gender, and finally they make it out for distribution. Although everyone works as fast as they can it is still a very time consuming process which can take up to a month to complete.
Where will you be in one month, well 30 days to be exact? In 30 days we will be in our last month of summer and preparing for the cooler temperatures of fall, then winter. The weather in Afghanistan is similar the the weather here but we are prepared for it. Boots, warm coats, hats, mittens, a warm house and warm food. The citizens of Afghanistan are not so lucky they struggle to keep their families fed, most have to choose to eat or to have shoes. When the soldiers of the 168 returned home last month they came with a message from the soldiers staying behind, they asked for 10,000 more pairs of shoes.
10,000 pairs of tiny feet walking barefoot in the snow... how can a person say no to that.
So here we are again saying "Help...winter is in 3 months."