Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do, folks. We’re going to do something that we think is cool, and you can either be on board with it or not, totally up to you. The event will still be the event, but we’re also going to do a little gathering for a good cause.
As the saying goes, “Freedom isn’t free”. There are people from right here in Michigan that are risking their very lives every day so that regular shmoes like us can sit around and whine about “That Guy” showing up at our events and being a little annoying, because…well, all things being equal, life’s pretty good, and it’s the folks off risking their asses for ours that make that possible.
And so we’d like to say “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to bitch about That Guy as the worst thing in our lives day to day”.
So we reached out, and we’ve got a great connection within the group that can help us put this together, and so we’re asking that you keep this in mind…
When you come to Dragonmead on the 15th, please bring one/some/all/whatever of the following items with you so that we can do something really thoughtful and kind this holiday season. We’ve asked, and these are things that are actually in high demand and would be of the most benefit to someone over in Afghanistan:
- Candy/gum/jerky. Nothing chocolate because…duh…it melts in transit.
- SMALL (read that again: “SMALL”) containers of baby wipes (it’s dusty)
- iTunes gift cards
- Tooth brushes and/or SMALL (again – “SMALL”) containers of toothpaste
- Crossword puzzle books – the little ones. You know, the size that would fit in the pockets of cargo pants.
- Ear buds. Apparently they break, get destroyed and clogged up constantly. Also…hard to find in Afghanistan.
Now, if you’re feeling particularly generous, and you’ve got an extra old (functional…) iPod, Shuffle, or something along those lines laying around…that would be huge. Again, they tend to break, get destroyed, and get all clogged up with sand constantly. Also again…fairly hard to find in Afghanistan.
If none of that’s jumping right out at you, why not pick up a gift card or a gift certificate to a local restaurant so that the families of these guys can get a break and go out to dinner? Got a connection to a local spa or hair place? Nag the ever living hell out of them and let’s do something nice for the ones still state-side that basically get turned into single parents while their significant other is off protecting our collective ass. The burden on those that remain here is a huge one, folks. The life of a military family yes, is the one that they’ve chosen…but that’s all the more reason that we should do something to help when and where we can.
If all else fails…bring some cash. It’s not a write-off, and it doesn’t have to be a ton. Whatever’s collected will get turned into the above-mentioned items and distributed.
There. Enough guilt-tripping, ranting and explaining. We’ve laid out what we’re gonna do, and so that’s what we’re gonna do. It’s not mandatory, it’s not something we’re going to light you up about if you don’t/can’t/aren’t interested in doing, it’s just something that we’re going to do, and we hope you see the value in doing it as well.
This is all duplicated out on the event listing: http://www.ITinTheD.com/event/december-2011/
Share it out, get the word out, and let’s do something cool.