Subscribe
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – The gratitude of the American public has been one of the subtle differences between the present day conflict and the wars of years past. Marines and other servicemembers are far more likely to receive the thanks of the public, a smile and handshake, than to be ignored or shunned, as it was in the wars and conflicts of our fathers.
Some people go the extra mile to make that thanks known. Kierra Watts, a 9th grader at Craven Early College, decided on her own initiative to put together a goods drive in her school for students to contribute necessities for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently in the process of deploying aboard the warships of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group.
“I wanted to help. That’s all, really,” said Watts.
Daughter of a local caterer, Jennifer Robinson, who was involved in hosting the 26th MEU birthday ball on Nov. 19, 2012, Watts said she simply wanted to do something to help.
She cited lots of family members in the military as her reason for doing the goods drive.
“A lot of my family was in the military,” she said.
During the past 11 years of armed conflict, these campaigns to get necessities like hygiene products to the troops were more common.
But as the operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest of the world dragged on, the frequency of such events has waned. Watts, while originally considering writing letters to troops overseas, quickly grew her idea into something larger.
“I made a list of items, brainstormed how to get them. I talked to my mom, went to the counselors. They said to make fliers,” said Watts.
After making fliers, she left collection boxes in the homerooms of her school. Students, while initially slow to respond to Watts’ idea, eventually turned it into a competition, to see who’s homeroom could donate the most.
“I didn’t expect this to be a such a big success,” said Watts.
Eventually, the drive got to the point where she had to enlist help to carry all the goods out.
Not content to rest on her laurels, Watts has big plans for the future, both for her fundraising and for her education. She intends to do another fundraiser, this time on a larger scale.
“This time, I might try to get the community involved,” she said.
| Date Taken: | 03.04.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2013 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 103408 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | VANCEBORO, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, No Good Deed Goes Unnoticed, by Cpl Michael Lockett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT