LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER
Caldwell, Idaho
Edition Thirty-Eight
Library 3-D Printer Reconstruction Complete!
5700 Calls Out of Two Stations
Page 4
Page 6
PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID EDDM-RETAIL
February 2018
Thank You Firefighters!
What About All The Construction Downtown?
720 Main St., Then
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by Brian Sullivan
submitted photos
Caldwell High School – Operation Make a Difference
718 Main St., Now
Service Men and Wemon who recieved thank you cards from Caldwell High School Students.
The students at Caldwell High School who participated in this service project are all studying health occupations. Within the yearlong course, there are intended outcomes such as; explorations within the health care industry, leadership, professionalism, and cultural diversity that are integral parts of the curriculum. The project began as a small group team-building lesson for each class to write a card to someone they did not know in the community such as the homeless, elderly, ill and or hospitalized (25 cards). The second portion (25 cards) of the plan was to write cards in a collaborative and collective effort to an unknown military member, then students were to decorate our classroom Christmas tree (yes, we had a real tree in our room) and I began looking for a Forward Operating Base in the area to send the letters. Searching on the internet
did not yield much luck but did give me a sense that many more searches would result in the Federal Government questioning my intent or an ominous black suburban parked in the shadows surveying my dayto-day activities. So with that, the gears switched and thoughts guided me to the USO. A call on a Saturday to the national number yielded a very cordial young woman whom shared that the closest point of contact was in Oregon and then graciously provided a number. The USO call was answered by Jeff Keller who was on his way to Wreaths Across America for fallen service members, one of which was his son. Jeff reached out to his executive director, as we were working on the original plan or looking for possibilities. I said if there is not a current program, let’s start one. On Sunday, Don Leingang, the executive
director for the USO in the northwest (USONW), whom without hesitation, offered his personal address in Seattle. He was willing to receive the cards from my students and then disperse them to service members deploying from SEATAC over the holidays. I was happy, but quickly realized we had more work to do. On Monday, we engaged in a bellwork activity and each of my students effectively wrote another ~ 200 individually prepared cards. I then headed to Caldwell Care of Cascadia to drop off the local cards and then off to the post office so cards would be delivered to the service men and women by the upcoming holiday(s). The USO sent photos of the service men and women receiving the cards along with their words of appreciation. The enthusiasm and care that was shown by the students of Caldwell High School was exemplary. These students
offered the great gift of gratitude to the military men and women serving our country. If this is not a remarkable example of collective efforts erupting in serendipity at its best, then I have to work harder. It is humbling to see so many eager and ready to commit a random act of kindness with an uninhibited willingness to be part of a solution over a problem. A summary of those who beneficently gave to this effort: The ~200 students studying health science at Caldwell High School (CHS) and the U.S. service members. Norma French superintendent Caldwell school district #132 Anita Wilson, Principal CHS Tyler Harding, Assistant Principal CHS Don Leingang USONW executive director Jeff Keller the USONW Portland OR center manager
Gabriel Bowman USONW communications manager Gina Luplow USONW events manager Tim Bogle USONW development director The gracious and helpful operator who was working that Saturday at the USO Caldwell Care of Cascadia nursing home Patty Bowen Idaho Press