It’s winter in July! In the middle of the heat of summer… it’s time to think of winter holidays and Christmas! The centerpiece of this year’s holiday care package will be the wonderful Soldiers’ Angels travel mugs, and Soldiers’ Angels has until July 8th to raise $138,000 to make get enough mugs for our heroes!

Service members who have received Angel mugs in the past just love them:

The coffee was just the pick up we needed to face the frigid mornings and long days and nights out here. And mugs to put it in are incredible!! - MSG E.P.

I just arrived at a deployed location and inherited one of you travel coffee mugs. It keeps my coffee warm and me awake while I work nights. It’s an honor to use one of your mugs, even in a semi-used condition, and a reminder that all the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and others who are deployed that we still have the support of our nation behind us.- Major T.A

Soldiers’ Angels Soldier Liaison Toby Nunn knows how it feels to receive an SA mug with packets of yummy hot chocolate when you’re fighting a war far from home. “It warms your heart. You get to enjoy sweet comfort, just like you when you were a 12-year-old playing with marshmallows. Pure gold,” he says. “It might be only two cups of hot chocolate, but it’ll be the best two cups you’ve ever had, because someone cared enough to send it.”

You can help make sure each deployed service member knows the nation cares by donating especially to this project—every donation will go directly to buying and shipping the mugs and hot chocolate for our deployed heroes during the holiday season. We need to plan ahead in order to have enough mugs—we have until July 8th to raise $138,000 the buy mugs for our deployed heroes!

And to help you warm a soldier’s heart even more, you can write a note to be sent with along with the holiday care package for a hero! Just write it in the Comments section of your online donation, or email it separately to angels@soldiersangels.org (write Holiday Note in the subject line).

Please join us as we work to make sure the holiday season is a time of warmth and love for all the service members who will be serving our country far from home this winter! Donate what you can, and spread the word!

Louisiana Soldier from the 225th Engineers in the news

Earlier this month, Soldiers’ Angels asked Americans to vote a dream wedding for an Iraq veteran and his finacee’. America came through with flying colors, propelling Van Ngo and Eric Oberly across the finish line! The young couple will have a $100,000 wedding of their dreams, thanks to Us Weekly and the Wedding Channel.

Van and Eric were at first told they were simply finalists and invited to New York for an interview. Instead, they arrived and found out they were the winners. They were mostly speechless with shock, but during an interview Eric credited Soldiers’ Angels with helping them win. “I just want to thank everybody that voted for us. We had a lady from Soldiers’ Angels that got the word out and helped us gather votes…It’s just fairytale.”

Eric also wrote to Soldiers’ Angels, “Thank you so much for posting Van and me on the Soldiers’ Angels site. It was amazing to see how many people it reached who ultimately voted.”

Soldiers’ Angels is proud to have had a role in helping this great couple win! You can follow their wedding adventure on the Us Weekly Dream Wedding blog.

Thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Ft Polk’s Sgt. Ricky D. Jones.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty from June 21 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by indirect fire. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. Ricky D. Jones, 26, of Plantersville, Ala. He was assigned to the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Polk, La.

For more information on Jones, the media may contact the Fort Polk public affairs office at (337) 531-4630 or (337) 531-1418; after hours (337) 208-3629 or (337) 353-9784.

Head on over to Soldiers’ Angels to get your free copy of “Ill See you Again” by Lansdowne.

Young, up-and-coming rock band Lansdowne has already put their support for the troops into action by touring Iraq with the USO. Now they also want to help Soldiers’ Angels continue to support the troops! Lansdowne is giving Soldiers’ Angels a visibility boost by sending their fans right here to the SA website to download a free copy of their terrific song, I’ll See You Again, a rocking tribute to the families who must wait at home when their loved one deploys.

Beginning today, I’ll See You Again will be available for download here and on the Soldiers’ Angels homepage for one week with promo code “Lansdowne,” and will continue to be available on this page for an additional three weeks after that. The band is highlighting a video of I’ll See You Again on Lansdowne’s MySpace page and directing viewers to go to Soldiers’ Angels to get their own copy of the song. The song will also be featured during “Military Monday” today on Twitter with goal of driving more new people to Soldiers’ Angels, in hopes they will join the mission of making sure “No Soldier Go Unloved.”

Known for record-quality live performances and their love of touring, Lansdowne began setting the Boston area afire in 2006 and has critics raving today. With a strong grassroots base and a dedication to giving their fans the very best, they plan on a career of bringing their great music as many people as possible. Lead Guitarist Shaun Lichtenstein explains, “The only way we are going to stick around and build a career is to give it everything, every night. We are addicted—there’s nothing better than watching the crowd dance and laugh and smile and sing those words right back at us. We are a band to know…a band to see live, plain and simple.

Soldiers’ Angels is proud to stand with these terrific young supporters of our heroes, and grateful for their assistance spreading the word about the importance of supporting the troops.

Dear Angels, Warriors, Celebrities, Sponsors, and Friends,

The first Soldiers’ Angels cookbook, Angel Delights Cookies Cookbook has been a best seller and fund raiser for Soldiers’ Angels, so it is time for SECOND EDITION.

Please send recipe submissions in the following categories:
Bar Cookies
Drop Cookies
Roll-and-Cut Cookies
Pressed and Molded Cookies
Brownies and Blondies
Refrigerator and Slice-and-Bake Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Miscellaneous and Unusual Cookies

Celebrity recipes are wanted — Soldiers’ Angels must receive the recipe directly from the celebrity (ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org) or to the Angel submitting the recipe however, Soldiers’ Angels cannot accept recipes that are copied from celebrity Web sites and emailed over from Angels.

We are also collecting recipes for our Meals Ready to Go/Eating on a Budget cookbook that will roll out shortly after the 2nd Cookie cookbook. We especially encourage our Warriors to get involved with this cookbook– what do you eat- that is fulfilling when you are on limited time/supplies?

If you have any inspirational quotes, poems, stories to share- please send them along as well.. (please limit to 3 paragraphs if possible for editing purposes) for strategic placement in the cookbooks- we may need to edit and space is limited, so not all submissions will be included, but we will file away for a future project.

Maximum of 10 recipes per person.

Please email MaryAnn for the template (fmawriter@aol.com). The deadline is August 31, 2009 so we can get the book published in time for holiday gift giving. (Please do not wait for the deadline– get your recipes in now.)

Thank you and we look forward to another successful cookie book. To purchase the first edition, please head over to our Angels Store. All proceeds from the Angel Store go directly back into supporting our heroes.

Kind regards,

MaryAnn
fmawriter@aol.com

Shelle
ShelleMichaels@SoldiersAngels.org

Our very own Vickie Franco, USCG and Angel since 2003 has done an exceptional job with keeping children involved in helping our Troops and Veterans. Here is her story in her own words.

“With our students and faculty getting ready to end their school year; I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the outstanding volunteer work shown to our servicemen and women overseas and the local Veterans who are in our local VA hospitals and homes this Memorial Day.

Please give gold stars and high fives to the following schools from Crowley Louisiana they have contributed for the past two months a total of 888 cards. OUTSTANDING!!!

St Michael School 33 cards collected from students and faculty. Total for past two months - 400 cards. Cindy Haynes contact person.

South Crowley Elementary - 102 cards collected from students and faculty. Total for past two months - 280 cards. Sarah Trahan - contact person.

Redemptorist Catholic- In April for Easter this school collected 208 cards from students and faculty. Priscilla Leonards - contact person.

Gold Stars and High Fives go out to the following schools as well -

With the assistance of MST2 A. Inyang USCG MSU Morgan City- PIE (Partnership in Education) Coordinator - MST2 Inyang collected 666 cards from 2 local schools, J.B. Maitland Elementary and Hattie A Watts Elementary.

Thank you! We are very proud of the children and the faculty. Gold Stars!!!

Hattie A. Watts Elementary 380 cards - Principal Niki Fryou

Patterson, LA 70392

Cards created and donated by Pre K students and other grades - Teacher Bethany Granger, Mrs. Christy Leblanc’s class, Mrs. Mary Marcell and Mrs. Beverly Rentrop. Mrs. Marie Landry’s, Mrs. Evelyn Mula, Mrs. Barbara Mustifuls (Aide to Mrs. Mula), Ms. Dana Martin, Ms. Christina Doucets and teacher Caren Loupe. The students also provided personalized hand print cards, colored in red white and blue. AWESOME!!

J. B. Maitland Elementary School- Total cards 99 cards

Morgan City, LA 70380.

Mr. and Mrs. Crappell (J.B. Elementary School) - 86 cards

Leo and Linda Crappell (Morgan City Volunteer Fire Dept)

Great!!

MD Shannon Elementary - Morgan City, LA 70380. In February, this local school also participated with creating 68 cards. Thank you Students and Faculty - Teachers Davis and Trahan 4th grade.

Broadmoor Elementary -Houma, LA 70364.

USCG- LTJG Patrick Grizzle and Mrs. Jennifer Grizzle as well as teacher Mrs. Marchive collected for past two months students and faculty submitted 56 cards. Thank you students and Faculty for your contributions.

To these children as well as the faculty and aides I say amazing!! You have volunteered your time to do this for the men and women overseas and Veterans here locally, that have sacrificed their lives and time spent away from their families for Peace and Freedom here in the United States of America.

Thank you for all of your support.

Vickie Franco

USCG MSU Morgan City

US Coast Guard Civilian employee

Soldiers Angels Volunteer (2003)

1) United States Coast Guard, Marine Safety Unit Morgan City, Captain J. Scott Paradis- Area of responsibility includes the following parishes: Lafourche, Assumption, Iberia, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, Vermillion, and St. Mary and Terrebonne.”

This is a GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT for all those listed above. I appreciate everything each one of you have done for our troops and veterans through out the year. Thank you Vickie so much for doing this. Simply AWESOME.

Meloney Choate

With just a couple of clicks, you can help Soldiers’ Angels win a $25,000 social media “makeover!” Just type “Soldiers’ Angels” into the box at the link and follow the directions.

Twitter, Facebook, and other interactive online platforms are one of the most potent ways to advocate, motivate, and spread the news these days. Soldiers’ Angels is an Internet-based organization, and having an expert makeover on the social media side of things would help SA reach out even more effectively to inspire Americans to support our heroes and make sure “No Soldier Go Unloved.”

Marcelle Turner, CEO of MindComet says, “Our hope is that the campaign will bring the participating organizations some national awareness through affiliation with the program, provide their constituents a focused mission to champion, and will ultimately result in a nationwide uplift in charitable giving driven by the power of social media.”

The contest, created by interactive agency MindComet and dubbed CommuniCause, runs through July 31st. At the conclusion, a winner will be selected at random from the ten highest vote-getters. One vote per email is counted, but the length of the campaign gives supporters the opportunity to spread the word about the contest through email, personal websites, and relationships within their local community.

In addition to voting, supporters can place a badge on their website, or use Twitter to compile votes through “re-tweets” (@CommuniCause #cause2255). Click here and scroll down for details.

Competition began April 27, so Soldiers’ Angels has some catching up to do! But we’ve got a great word-of-mouth “ground game,” so the Top Ten isn’t out of reach. Let’s make it happen!

Twitter: @soldiersangels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Soldiers-Angels-Official/23782461003

A very important radio show for you to tune into this Saturday. I’m hosting a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) roundtable with 3 experts from the Southeast Louisiana VA Health Care System.

Date: Saturday June 13th
Time: 9:00-10:00 AM central time
Where: Am 690 New Orleans or WIST radio live on your computer
Call in number: (504)260-0690 or 888-880-WIST
Questions or comments: in the comment section, gretaperry at gmail.com, @kissmygumbo or on Facebook

Dr. Madeline Uddo: She is a clinical psychologist who has been working with PTSD veterans since 1988 and is currently the Team Leader of the Outpatient PTSD Program at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System in New Orleans, LA.

Michael Hue: Mr. Michael Hue is the Assistant Chief of Business Operations Office for the Southeast Louisiana VA Health Care System, which deals with Billing and Eligibility issues. Prior to joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Hue served 11 years on active duty in the United States Air Force.

Garry Laborde: Mr. Garry LaBorde is the OEF/OIF Program Manager for the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System in November, 2008. OEF/OIF Veterans are the most recent group of combat Veterans to face PTSD. Prior to joining the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mr. LaBorde served seven years on active duty in the U.S. Army.

$25,000 for Social Media

With just a couple of clicks, you can help Soldiers’ Angels win a $25,000 social media “makeover!” Just type “Soldiers’ Angels” into the box at the link and follow the directions.

Twitter, Facebook, and other interactive online platforms are one of the most potent ways to advocate, motivate, and spread the news these days. Soldiers’ Angels is an Internet-based organization, and having an expert makeover on the social media side of things would help SA reach out even more effectively to inspire Americans to support our heroes and make sure “No Soldier Go Unloved.”

Marcelle Turner, CEO of MindComet says, “Our hope is that the campaign will bring the participating organizations some national awareness through affiliation with the program, provide their constituents a focused mission to champion, and will ultimately result in a nationwide uplift in charitable giving driven by the power of social media.”

The contest, created by interactive agency MindComet and dubbed CommuniCause, runs through July 31st. At the conclusion, a winner will be selected at random from the ten highest vote-getters. One vote per email is counted, but the length of the campaign gives supporters the opportunity to spread the word about the contest through email, personal websites, and relationships within their local community.

In addition to voting, supporters can place a badge on their website, or use Twitter to compile votes through “re-tweets” (@CommuniCause #cause2255). Click here and scroll down for details.

Competition began April 27, so Soldiers’ Angels has some catching up to do! But we’ve got a great word-of-mouth “ground game,” so the Top Ten isn’t out of reach. Let’s make it happen!