Memorial Fund for a Fallen Comrade

[6spdg37s]

^^ no problem McDuff!!! im glad i could make it as simple as possible for everyone involved !!

[McDuff]

Unfortunately in this country right now we do more for our "non-citizens" more aptly illegal aliens than we do for our soldiers that are fighting for our freedom. I myself am sick of hearing about families of our soldiers hardly making ends meet. God Bless this family and all the others that have lost loved ones for our freedom.

[xlr8rvette]

Any other way to donate other than the email address in post 2? I have paypal but outlook express doesn't care for my computer.

 

Thanks' Bill

[Rich]

Unfortunately in this country right now we do more for our "non-citizens" more aptly illegal aliens than we do for our soldiers that are fighting for our freedom. I myself am sick of hearing about families of our soldiers hardly making ends meet. God Bless this family and all the others that have lost loved ones for our freedom.

 

 

It's not just the current soldiers being pinched. My father in law is a WWII veteran, 92 years old, but still lives alone and cares for himself. The VA has cut his meds, increased what he has to pay for them, and he was getting a girl for two hours a week to clean his apartment. They cut that to every other week, and now they want to cut it all together.

With all the money that the gvt is throwing away right now, you can't tell me they can't afford to pay one girl for 2 hours of work every other week.

He never requested ANYTHING from the VA till just recently. But he served his country when it was needed.

[xlr8rvette]

Went to paypal home page. Making payment was easy. Donation gladly made along with a prayer !!

 

Its nice to be a part of this class group !

[Bill-V8V]

Any other way to donate other than the email address in post 2? I have paypal but outlook express doesn't care for my computer.

 

Thanks' Bill

 

 

Hi Bill

 

You just visit the PayPal web site and login, then click Send Money. There is a box for who to send the money to. Just put the email address in there

 

 

:patriot::patriot:

 

Bill

[s_rhoden]

Unfortunately I can not make a donation from where I currently am but someone please pass on that my prayers are with this family. I will do my part in remembering him out in the field. My prayers are also there for those who have lost loved ones in the past serving this great country. And thank you to those who have served and are currently serving at this time with me. May we all return home safely or at least as the poem reads.....

The soldier stood and faced his God Which must always come to pass...

He hoped his shoes were shining Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek? To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and Said,"No, Lord, I guess I ain't...

Because those of us who carry guns Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays And at times my talk was tough,

And sometimes I've been violent, Because the streets are awfully tough.

But, I never took a penny That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime When the bills got just too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear,

And sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place Among the people here...

They never wanted me around Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, It needn't be so grand,

I never expected or had too much, But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence all around the throne Where the saints had often trod...

As the soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God,

"Step forward now you soldier,

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell."

 

[OIF Vet]

I just wanted to give everyone an update on where we are with the Memorial Fund. We are currently at $535 dollars. This is amazing and I can't wait to give this to Kristi and the boys. Thanks everyone. How long should we keep this going? Should be give it to Sunday night and then stop. This way I can send her the check on Monday? Thanks again everyone.

 

Rob

[Bill-V8V]

I like round numbers, it's $600 now

[Bill-V8V]

And Sunday night sounds good

[Adam]

I'll leave that up to you Rob. Whatever you think is right, and we are going to put a link to this thread on the News section on our homepage at http://www.AdamsPolishes.com as well.

 

I'm glad we were able to raise some money for Jason's family, and still feel like what we are doing isn't enough.

 

I keep thinking, "If I was gone, what would my wife and children want?" It's so hard to think about, and come up with an answer.

 

Keep us posted on progress, thanks Rob.

 

-Adam:patriot:

[Rich]

Unfortunately I can not make a donation from where I currently am but someone please pass on that my prayers are with this family. I will do my part in remembering him out in the field. My prayers are also there for those who have lost loved ones in the past serving this great country. And thank you to those who have served and are currently serving at this time with me. May we all return home safely or at least as the poem reads.....

The soldier stood and faced his God Which must always come to pass...

He hoped his shoes were shining Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek? To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and Said,"No, Lord, I guess I ain't...

Because those of us who carry guns Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays And at times my talk was tough,

And sometimes I've been violent, Because the streets are awfully tough.

But, I never took a penny That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime When the bills got just too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear,

And sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place Among the people here...

They never wanted me around Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, It needn't be so grand,

I never expected or had too much, But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence all around the throne Where the saints had often trod...

As the soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God,

"Step forward now you soldier,

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell."

 

 

 

That's okay Shawn. Your prayers are appreciated just as much.

[OIF Vet]

That's awesome Bill! Thanks a lot.

 

Knowing Jason like I did he would be ticked off with us for doing this. He was one of those guys that never wanted help. If he was doing something and you tried to help him he would punch you. He had cement blocks for hands and studied mixed martial arts with people in our company. Thank goodness I out ranked him because I saw him hit some people and I think that they still maybe laying down.

 

Deep down though he was a big teddy bear. When he was in front of all the lower ranking guys he would talk a big game. Once you talked to him one on one he would loosen up.

 

I'm thinking of another fund raiser for his family. While we were in Iraq we would have a weekly Staff Sergeant and above poker game if the missions allowed us to. Jason was horrible at poker but he would play for the laughs and Skoal. He would always forget his can of Skoal in his room. He was one of those players that would go all in with a 3 of hearts and a 7 of spades and somehow end up with a full house. He showed us that it doesn't take any skill to win at poker. With this said I'm looking at getting a custom chip set made in his memory. Once the chip set is made, I would love to auction it off and give the proceeds to his family.

 

Do you guys think that is asking to much of people since we are doing the fund raiser? please let me know. Thanks.

 

Rob

[OIF Vet]

I just noticed the link under the Store News section of the homepage. That is great. That picture of him is awesome. He always would be smiling.

 

Rob

[Adam]

I just noticed the link under the Store News section of the homepage. That is great. That picture of him is awesome. He always would be smiling.

 

Rob

 

I agree, great photo, shows a clearly positive spirit!

 

Glad to hear that we have raised $650 for Jason's wife, boys, ad unborn daughter.

 

I hope we hit the goal of $750 by Sunday. Adam's is going to donate the $750 regardless, and I'd also like to cover the Paypal fees. No good will come to their family paying Paypal.

 

Give me a call on Sunday Rob, as I'll be on the road from 6AM to 8PM, driving from Boulder to Reno.

 

Thanks again to all who have shown support for Jason, and now for his family that he has left behind while serving our country.

 

I believe we can do more. Organize a car show/ fund raiser in his hometown, in support of our troops, and Jason's family? Any other ideas?

 

What can we do as Americans to help the families who have lost people who lost loved ones so that we can live as we do? More, I believe. More.

 

-Adam:patriot:

[6spdg37s]

^ WOW we did good! im glad that c6bill and I were able to set this up! Well actually he really deserves most of the credit for running it...thank you!!

[OIF Vet]

Another update my Adam's family members! We received another $25 donation this morning. That brings the total up to $675 and once it's all said and done, that grand total is going to be $1425. That number may even go up over the weekend. Jason's family is going to be so grateful of this gift. Like I said, Jason never wanted help with anything so when I finally see him on the "Great Drop Zone" in the sky I'm sure he'll punch me a few times:patriot: It will be well worth it though.

 

I will be writing a check out Monday and placing it into a card so I can get it to this family by the end of the week. I will sign everyone's name to the card if that is alright with everyone. If you would like to write a little note you can email it to me and I will put it into a bigger envelope. You can email it to me at:

 

robert.ferrara@us.army.mil

 

 

 

Thanks again and I'm proud to call everyone of you my friend.

[70'sChevyGirl]

Rob,

 

I don't think he will be mad because he is smiling from above knowing that there are people out there willing to help.

 

Sign our names if you'd like but I don't think it is necessary.

 

Give the family a big hug from all of us at AF.

[OIF Vet]

Good afternoon everyone. We are in the final stretch of the fund raiser. So far we have raised $650. That is amazing!!!! I would like to thank everyone for the donations, prayers and support. As a soldier for the past 19 years, I am touched by the actions of everyone. Tomorrow will be the last day to make a donation if you are planning to donate.

 

Adam mentioned about having a car show in honor of Jason. I've never ran one before and I was wondering what steps I would need to get this off the ground. Any input would be great.

 

Again, thank you everyone and enjoy your weekend.

 

:patriot::patriot:

[Rich]

Good afternoon everyone. We are in the final stretch of the fund raiser. So far we have raised $650. That is amazing!!!! I would like to thank everyone for the donations, prayers and support. As a soldier for the past 19 years, I am touched by the actions of everyone. Tomorrow will be the last day to make a donation if you are planning to donate.

 

Adam mentioned about having a car show in honor of Jason. I've never ran one before and I was wondering what steps I would need to get this off the ground. Any input would be great.

 

Again, thank you everyone and enjoy your weekend.

 

:patriot::patriot:

 

Hi. This is Mrs. Rich. He asked me to chime in here about this since I handle one every year.

 

First thing about running a car show is that you can't do it yourself. It takes people who are dedicated to make it work. Maybe you can get a local car club to get involved or even sponsor it.

Once you have people in place, decide on a day and time, and the next thing to do is find a venue. Perhaps a closed mall, an airport, a local college, or just a ball field, and try and get them to donate the space for the day. You will most likely get more people by hosting a cruise in rather than a car show, but if you decide to go the car show route, then you need to decide on classes and how many trophies you are going to award. Try and find a company or a person to donate the trophies. Or if you are doing a cruise in, maybe you can find someone to donate dash plaques for the attendees. Set a price. Car show......maybe $10.00 per car, cruise in......maybe $5.00.

Contact your local radio station and get them involved. They usually have some ideas about live broadcasts and have giveaways and will do on air advertising of your show for nothing if it's non profit. You might want to find a dj willing to donate his service for this event too.

Make up some flyers to pass around at car shows and cruises before your show to help get the word out. And hopefully, you have a local free paper in your area that will be willing to put an ad in their paper for free. Check with local advertising companies or marketing companies. Many of them do free stuff for non profit fund raisers. Our local one did candy bars for us that we sold for $1.00 each and made an extra $150.

Decide if you're going to do a 50/50 (be sure and check your local ordinances for this) If you are dealing with a car club, they may already have the necessary paperwork to hold a 50/50.

Have everyone involved go to local businesses to ask for donations such as car care products, overnights at a hotel, grocery baskets, etc. so you can have door prizes or even a chinese auction (depending on how much stuff you have).

If you have a 50/50 and door prizes or auction, then you'll have to get tickets for the drawings. I wouldn't get into doing goody bags. Too much work.

That's pretty much all I can think of right now. I hope that give you something to think about. Like I said, you would probably be wise to hook up with a car club who would be willing to help without taking any profit for themselves.

Good luck with it. It's a wonderful thing you are doing. If you have any more questions, please pm Rich and I'll try and answer you.

God Bless you,

Darlene

[11chevz71]

Hi. This is Mrs. Rich. He asked me to chime in here about this since I handle one every year.

 

First thing about running a car show is that you can't do it yourself. It takes people who are dedicated to make it work. Maybe you can get a local car club to get involved or even sponsor it.

Once you have people in place, decide on a day and time, and the next thing to do is find a venue. Perhaps a closed mall, an airport, a local college, or just a ball field, and try and get them to donate the space for the day. You will most likely get more people by hosting a cruise in rather than a car show, but if you decide to go the car show route, then you need to decide on classes and how many trophies you are going to award. Try and find a company or a person to donate the trophies. Or if you are doing a cruise in, maybe you can find someone to donate dash plaques for the attendees. Set a price. Car show......maybe $10.00 per car, cruise in......maybe $5.00.

Contact your local radio station and get them involved. They usually have some ideas about live broadcasts and have giveaways and will do on air advertising of your show for nothing if it's non profit. You might want to find a dj willing to donate his service for this event too.

Make up some flyers to pass around at car shows and cruises before your show to help get the word out. And hopefully, you have a local free paper in your area that will be willing to put an ad in their paper for free. Check with local advertising companies or marketing companies. Many of them do free stuff for non profit fund raisers. Our local one did candy bars for us that we sold for $1.00 each and made an extra $150.

Decide if you're going to do a 50/50 (be sure and check your local ordinances for this) If you are dealing with a car club, they may already have the necessary paperwork to hold a 50/50.

Have everyone involved go to local businesses to ask for donations such as car care products, overnights at a hotel, grocery baskets, etc. so you can have door prizes or even a chinese auction (depending on how much stuff you have).

If you have a 50/50 and door prizes or auction, then you'll have to get tickets for the drawings. I wouldn't get into doing goody bags. Too much work.

That's pretty much all I can think of right now. I hope that give you something to think about. Like I said, you would probably be wise to hook up with a car club who would be willing to help without taking any profit for themselves.

Good luck with it. It's a wonderful thing you are doing. If you have any more questions, please pm Rich and I'll try and answer you.

God Bless you,

Darlene

 

 

Way to go Darlene

[OIF Vet]

Good afternoon everyone. Here is the latest and greatest update. We are still sitting at $675 dollars. I talked with Adam about 2 hours ago and he was having a blast driving through Wyoming. However, he just donated $750 to the fund. With that said I would like for us to match Adam's donation. I will give $25 dollars to bring our total to $700. If we could gather another $50 that will make it an even $1,500.

 

Jason's family is moving back to Ohio this week so I am planning on sending the money out tomorrow. The way the Army works is that she will get 50% to 80% of all moving money up front. Once she is back in Ohio she has to filling out a claim to get the remaining balance. This money that we are sending will help her while moving with hotels, food, gas and all those other expenses that come with moving.

 

Thanks again everyone and lets see if you can muster up a few extra dollars.

[McDuff]

Hey Rob, where in Ohio is she moving back to? Maybe some of us are close enough that we could help out with some labor help or whatever to help smooth things during these tough times. I don't know what it is like to lose a spouse, but we are burying my mother this week so sometimes just having comforting words and someone to talk to helps.

[OIF Vet]

Sorry to hear about your mother Tom. It most not be easy to lose a parent. God bless.

 

I will find out what part of Ohio she is moving to. I will let you know as soon as I speak to her.

[Bill-V8V]

Hey Rob, where in Ohio is she moving back to? Maybe some of us are close enough that we could help out with some labor help or whatever to help smooth things during these tough times. I don't know what it is like to lose a spouse, but we are burying my mother this week so sometimes just having comforting words and someone to talk to helps.

 

Sorry to hear that Tom :(