Field Park Students Prepare Care Packages for Soldiers

Last year, during Field Day, a portion of each student’s outdoor fun : a fundraising in tandem with Lyons Township’s Relay for Life.

For their second year of Field Day volunteerism, students (again, all of them!) each took 15 minutes to do their part in the assembly of 54 care packages for American soldiers—mostly in Afghanistan—filled with the sorts of stuff a soldier always needs. The effort was done through the organization Any Soldier.

“It was a neat process for them to be involved with. It brought a little more meaning to the day,” said teacher Heidi Hanner, head of the school’s student council. “We just wanted a project that everybody could have a part in—five- through 11-year-olds to all have an appropriate part.”

Indeed, the assembly-line style of care-package construction meant that everybody could have a role; for fifth-grader and Student Council member Dominic Fara, it was writing the addresses on the boxes.

“It was really fun,” Fara said. “I feel better that we’re supporting our soldiers who are risking their lives for us.”

Contents of the boxes included soap, deodorant, beef jerky and other snacks, and Beanie Babies to be passed out to Afghani kids for goodwill. The fillers were mostly donated; other Student Council fundraising from the year took care of the rest of the costs, including postage.

Working together, the students met (and beat) their goal of 50 boxes.

“It’s just a great way to teach these kids that sometimes the most valuable thing you can give someone is your time, rather than raising money,” said gym teacher Ryan McLaughlin. “Hopefully it teaches the kids a little bit of something that money isn’t everything when it comes to helping out.”