Connellsville Patriots organization supplies troops overseas
CONNELLSVILLE – Elise Michaux places a bag of jellybeans and a razor into the postal box and moves along the line of tables sitting in the hallway of the Connellsville Area Senior High School. The box is not very big, so Michaux and the other members of the CAHS Patriots organization make their selections from the array of crackers, toiletries, tuna, crazy string and puzzle books so that every available space is filled to capacity.
The students and volunteer teachers have no idea who will be the recipient of the care package; what they do know, however, is that they are fighting to keep them safe here at home.
“It is such an honor to give back to people who are serving for your life; your country; your freedom,” said Michaux. “Why shouldn’t I spend 45 minutes to package these boxes for our troops overseas?
“It is an honor to do this.”
The CAHS Patriots was organized in 2003 with teacher Linda Shearer at its helm.
Its mission, said Shearer, is simple.
“Our purpose is to show them that we care,” she said. “It’s a labor of love and appreciation.”
With the 220 boxes recently taped, addressed and mailed, the group has dispatched 3,150 packages, valued at $129,000, to soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since the group began its distribution, hundreds of e-mails have found their way to Shearer’s classroom.
Bulletin boards with pictures of soldiers wearing Patriots T-shirts or hand-printed thank-you cards line the walls of her room along with various items the soldiers sent in appreciation.
FOX News, President George W. Bush, the Pennsylvania Senate, the Connellsville Elks, the American Legion and numerous commanding officers and military units have recognized the group’s efforts.
Although Shearer credits her students for the successful program, her time and effort does not go unnoticed, said Michaux.
“She’s an inspiration,” she said. “It is amazing what she does to get ready for this, not once, but twice each year.”
Some of the students have family members who have been on the battlefield and have received a package from home.
Most, however, are distributed through a contact Shearer has garnered through the program.
The current round of packages will be sent off to three Connellsville Area High School graduates and a guidance counselor serving in the military along with various others that have been brought to Shearer’s attention.
“Our contacts then distribute them to their unit,” said Shearer.
To carry out the program, various fund-raising activities are held with proceeds used to purchase items and defray mailing costs.
The next activity will be the annual auction where a variety of merchandise, including an autographed football by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, will be given to the highest bidder.
The auction will be held at the Connellsville Elks, located at 140 E. Crawford Ave., Connellsville, on May 3.