Students collect candy, letters to send to troops

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(Clockwise from left) Juniors Colleen Boyce, Jen Dorlane and Chelsea French write "thank you" letters to Colleen's cousin, who is currently serving in the military, during class Thursday at DeKalb High School. Colleen and her brother are collecting Halloween candy and writing letters to be sent to troops serving in the Middle East. (Beck Diefenbach – bdiefenbach@daily-chronicle.com)

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DeKALB – Brother and sister duo Jack and Colleen Boyce wanted to do something sweet.

So the two DeKalb High School students led an effort this week – coined “Treats for Troops” – to collect leftover Halloween candy for servicemen who are deployed overseas. The two opened a storage area at the school Wednesday, where about six cardboard boxes overflowed with bags of the sugary sweets.

“Troops don’t have those daily things that we take for granted,” said Colleen, 16, a junior. “I think it’ll make them feel great. They’re out serving us, we should be sending them packages.”

Receiving packages while stationed in Iraq is something U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael D’Amato, 30, will never forget. Now an Army recruiter in DeKalb, D’Amato was deployed to Iraq in March 2003. He returned home in March 2004.

Although more than six years have gone by, he vividly recalled Thursday how he felt when his unit got packages. They’d occasionally be from family, he said, but more often, were sent from complete strangers.

“It was very heartwarming,” D’Amato said. “It’s always just a very comforting feeling knowing there are other people out there besides family that care about you.”

The Boyces consider showing servicemen that they’re appreciated as a civic duty, they said Wednesday. Their cousin, U.S. Army Pvt. Billy McClain, is stationed at Camp Restrepo in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. Whenever they can, they send McClain gifts, like footballs, snacks and baseball gloves, they said.

“They don’t have any of the candy we usually get for Halloween in Afghanistan,” said Jack, 15, who came up with the Treats for Troops idea. “Maybe they miss it, so they should get it.”

The Boyces were given immediate support when they presented their plan to DHS Principal Doug Moeller and Activities Director Dan Jones, the two said.

“We have a number of staff members here who were formerly in the military,” Jones said, noting he also has many personal friends still serving. “We know it’s always important to support our troops, wherever they might be.”

Along with students at DHS, the kids’ family members helped this week to collect treats. They hoped to accumulate as much candy as possible, but expected around 10 boxes, they said. The two are currently compiling a list of addresses of where to ship their packages, they said.

D’Amato commended the effort Thursday and encouraged local residents to send mail to servicemen – CDs and DVDs, in particular, always boost morale, he said. He also thanked those who have ever sent anything to anyone deployed.

“It’s cool to get things from people because it reminds you that even though these people might not know you, they still want to see you happy and safe,” he said.
 

Sugar support

Those who know of a deployed military unit that might like to receive a package from Treats for Troops are encouraged to contact Colleen Boyce at 815-757-6164.

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