Students send cards to soldiers
Students in Chasity Parker’s second grade class at West Elementary recently made cards to send to soldiers in need.
Christmas is an exciting time for children who have waited anxiously all year long to see what Santa will leave for them under their Christmas trees.
For most children, thoughts of teddy bears, baby dolls, monster trucks and new bicycles are all they can think of during the month of December, but one Russellville second grader had something else on her mind this Christmas.
For several years now, Chloe Sheffield has gone to meetings and events with her “gammy,” Lorrie Cummings, who is a member of the Mountaintop Homemakers Club.
This group of ladies meets once a month and they work on projects that will benefit their community and help other people, such as the soldier care packages they send to soldiers in need throughout the year.
Recently, Cummings was working on cards for their annual Christmas bazaar that helps the club raise money for the community service projects they do each year when her granddaughter made a special request.
“When Chloe walked in, she asked me if I was making cards to send to the soldiers,” Cummings said. “She has seen me working on our soldier care packages before and I guess that’s what she thought I was doing.
“I told her I was working on cards for our bazaar, and she stopped for a minute then asked me if she could make cards for the soldiers for Christmas.
“She has an uncle that’s in the service and has been to Afghanistan, and that has just really stuck with her. With it being close to the holidays, she was thinking about the soldiers, and I guess some of the community service projects she’s been around has rubbed off on her and has got her thinking about other people.”
Cummings said she suggested Chloe ask her second-grade class at West Elementary School in Russellville to help with the cards.
“She was really excited to have her classmates help her,” Cummings said.
“And her teacher, Mrs. Chasity Parker, was glad to have all the children participate.”
Cummings said she visited the school last week and brought supplies for the students to use to make the cards.
“I think it was a great experience for everyone,” Cummings said. “The kids really loved it, and I think I had as much fun helping with it as the children did.”
Cummings said the students wrote cards to soldiers that can be used all year long.
“We send out these care boxes when we know of a soldier or group of soldiers who have a need or who could use some encouragement,” Cummings said.
“Since we don’t know when we’ll be sending these, I had the children write things that would apply year round, and most of the children just thanked the soldiers for all they do.
“I hope this will make these soldiers smile and will let them know that there are people back home who appreciate them and what they sacrifice for our country.”
