"May no soldier go unloved," the official motto of Soldiers'
Angels, a nonprofit foundation launched in 2003 by the mother of an Iraq
soldier, took on new meaning this week when the foundation made a $10,000
donation to the Western Center for Technical Studies' "House of Heroes"
project.
The project, in which WCTS students are constructing a home for the family of injured Louisiana National Guardsman James Johnson, was imperiled last month when the school learned that no transportation for the completed house had ever been formally arranged. Since that discovery, the WCTS has been seeking $18,000 to pay for new transportation arrangements.
Spring-Ford Area School District Superintendent Dr. Marsha Hurda said Monday that Soldiers' Angels may be able to single-handedly foot the bill for the house's voyage to Lake Charles, La. Spring-Ford operates the WCTS in conjunction with the Pottsgrove and Upper Perkiomen school districts.
"They have committed $10,000, and they feel very strongly that they'll be able to raise the additional $8,000," said Hurda.
"It looks like they're closing in on the entire financial obligation," said Lt. Colonel Chris Cleaver, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard, when reached via telephone Tuesday.
The Soldiers' Angels donation was facilitated by the Louisiana and Pennsylvania divisions of the National Guard, which raced to the project's aid after early reports on the House of Heroes' plight suggested that the National Guard had reneged on an agreement to transport the house. In reality, the National Guard never had a formal agreement with the project.
Cleaver said that most of the credit for the recent effort should go to the Louisiana National Guard.
"All our hats are off to the Louisiana National Guard. There has not only been the spirit of helping this noble cause, but some serendipity as well," Cleaver said.
The house will be partially disassembled for the trip to Louisiana. Later this month, about 30 students who built the house are scheduled to travel to Louisiana to reassemble the house and give it some finishing touches.
According to Cleaver, they'll have plenty of help. Cleaver said the Louisiana National Guard reached out to a former company commander who was in the construction business.
"It's in good, knowledgeable hands down there. They'll have cranes, licenses, port-a-johns, all the different little items [the House of Heroes] will need," Cleaver said.
The project, in which WCTS students are constructing a home for the family of injured Louisiana National Guardsman James Johnson, was imperiled last month when the school learned that no transportation for the completed house had ever been formally arranged. Since that discovery, the WCTS has been seeking $18,000 to pay for new transportation arrangements.
Spring-Ford Area School District Superintendent Dr. Marsha Hurda said Monday that Soldiers' Angels may be able to single-handedly foot the bill for the house's voyage to Lake Charles, La. Spring-Ford operates the WCTS in conjunction with the Pottsgrove and Upper Perkiomen school districts.
"They have committed $10,000, and they feel very strongly that they'll be able to raise the additional $8,000," said Hurda.
"It looks like they're closing in on the entire financial obligation," said Lt. Colonel Chris Cleaver, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard, when reached via telephone Tuesday.
The Soldiers' Angels donation was facilitated by the Louisiana and Pennsylvania divisions of the National Guard, which raced to the project's aid after early reports on the House of Heroes' plight suggested that the National Guard had reneged on an agreement to transport the house. In reality, the National Guard never had a formal agreement with the project.
Cleaver said that most of the credit for the recent effort should go to the Louisiana National Guard.
"All our hats are off to the Louisiana National Guard. There has not only been the spirit of helping this noble cause, but some serendipity as well," Cleaver said.
The house will be partially disassembled for the trip to Louisiana. Later this month, about 30 students who built the house are scheduled to travel to Louisiana to reassemble the house and give it some finishing touches.
According to Cleaver, they'll have plenty of help. Cleaver said the Louisiana National Guard reached out to a former company commander who was in the construction business.
"It's in good, knowledgeable hands down there. They'll have cranes, licenses, port-a-johns, all the different little items [the House of Heroes] will need," Cleaver said.
NOTE: Donations can be made to SoldiersAngels.org and make a note on the donation that it is for the "House for Heroes in Pennsylvania".
or directly to
Western Center for Technical Studies, Attn: House for Heroes, 77 Greater Ford Road, Limerick, PA 19468
Soldiers' Angels is a 501(c)(3) so donations are tax deductible, I am not sure about donations directly to the school.
Comments