Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey | Denise Raby, Wife of Barnes Air National Guard Base Fire Chief, hears about a...... read more read more
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“We were sitting down watching football when my husband turned around to tell me they had a big fire at Joint Base Cape Cod and they lost everything for this year’s Children’s Holiday party,” said Denise Raby, spouse of Barnes Air National Guard Base Fire Captain. “I sat there still and heartbroken until he said ‘what’s wrong’ I then said I need to do something.”
The conversations of devastation quickly turned into action for Mrs. Raby when she hit the streets with a plan to try and help these military families affected by the fire.
“I asked my husband what about a toy drive,” said Raby. “Then I called my friend Sonia and said guess what we have something to do. My friend asked what are we doing and then stuck with me through the whole thing.”
On October 30th the fire had raced through storage trailers on base loaded from floor to ceiling with toys leaving the question if they would recover in time for the upcoming party.
Don Cox, the president of the Cape Cod Military Support Foundation, said the organization has been hosting a party for 800 kids on the base for the past five years. You can’t comprehend what it really means and how big our event really is for these families. The day after the party, we start collecting for next year.”
The past four weekends since hearing about the devastating fire Denise set up a drop off point in the parking lot of the local Chicopee Comprehensive High School from 10 a.m. to 1p.m. every Sat. morning.
“Denise didn’t even think twice about getting up and doing this every Sat. morning,” said her husband Travis Raby, retired Senior Master Sgt.
The Raby family set up an easy-up canopy to establish the drop off point and blared Christmas music from the trunk of their car.
“I would say come on let’s go, it’s time, and my boys would get up to help me with the signs,” said Denise. “My boys would get the signs out on the corners of the community and they weren’t light signs. My husband made them out of 2x4s to ensure they were big enough for people to see as they drove by. I was proud of my sons for loading and dropping them off every Sat. morning.”
Denise shared “We would hurry back to the school to set up our canopy, sit there with our little box decorated and hope for the best.”
“My youngest son would stop in the classrooms to check on the other boxes during the week,” said Denise. “When I asked the high school to use their parking lot they offered to set boxes in the classrooms.”
Denise kept a running total for what they brought in for accountability and provided status updates.
“It started off the goal was 200 and they just kept coming,” said Denise “The goal kept shifting. When we got to 206 the goal moved and I would say maybe we can get 250. Then when we got to 400 toys I said you think we can get to 500. Everyone said ‘I don’t think so Denise I think you are pushing it now’ and then they started coming in.”
A drop off came in on the last day prior to Otis Joint Base picking up the toys and it brought their total to over the 700 mark.
“Right now we have 705 gifts, 405 in cash donations, 11 gift cards, and several decorations, for the Children’s Christmas Party,” said Denise.
When asked what motivated her she shared “I’ve been in the situation where he has been gone for a year and at the time I had two little boys. The military was there for me and people knowing he was deployed helped me.”
“We had gone to a Christmas party and returned to gifts under our tree. My mother was living with us at the time and family readiness had coordinated with her to get the gifts in the house to surprise us. This was my way of being in that situation and wanting to give back. To do what people have done for me in the situation that these families are in right now deployed overseas. I get that being a military wife its hard being a single parent when your spouse is deployed.”
Since Sept. 11, 2001 her husband had been deployed for close to three years total.
“One month after Sept. 11 we were on a one year tour to backfill active duty at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base at the 4th Fighter Wing,” said Travis. “They had sent their crews to Afghanistan and we were down there to back fill for a long tour unaccompanied. We didn’t get to come back very often as the ops tempo was high. My wife came down for Thanksgiving but then I didn’t see her for the next five months.”
“My sons saw many hairdressers and beauty salons,” said Denise, laughing about bringing her three boys everywhere she went.
Denise said “The generosity, the response, and to see people coming together for these military families was very nice. It was overwhelming.”
“One morning waking up and seeing the toys I looked around and cried. I can’t explain what I was feeling. To know that there are still people who care. It’s not about me it’s about the kids and the families who still need help.”
The toys will be handed out to the Children of Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines, during the annual holiday party on Joint Base Cape Cod, Dec 10, 2016.
“I don’t know what else to say I just can’t see children being without toys,” said Denise. “To me that’s not a Christmas. I know there are other needs but when it comes to kids not having toys at Christmas time he can tell you it melts my heart.”
“My family, husband, and three boys, went out and bought toys, put it on Facebook and Twitter. They were the word of mouth and I couldn’t have done it without them. I am grateful for our community. I didn’t expect the response we received. It’s very overwhelming.”
| Date Taken: | 01.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.01.2017 17:21 |
| Story ID: | 219189 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 207 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Air Guard Family Jumps Into Action for Christmas Toy Drive, by SMSgt Julie Avey, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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