A great Fourth of July: American troops open packages from Reston Chorale. Photo contributed
To the Editor:
On the Friday before Independence Day, nine large boxes from The Reston Chorale reached a platoon of American soldiers stationed halfway around the world. They contained a Fourth of July Party-in-a-Box, handmade thank you cards, snacks and sports equipment, health and hygiene products, books, games, DVDs and more – even the fixin’s for s’mores.
All of these items were generously donated to The Reston Chorale’s Care Packages for the Troops Drive – part of our annual Star-Spangled Sing-Along at Reston Town Center on the Saturday before Memorial Day.
Now in its second year, this drive has delivered 650 pounds of donated goods for American soldiers serving overseas.
This year, our care package donations were combined with support from the USO to create a memorable Fourth of July celebration for a large platoon serving far from home.
The soldiers were very happy to receive them, sending this message: "We can’t express our gratitude enough! You have made this a great 4th of July for all the troops here. Several people said they forgot [where they were] for a few hours due to all the decorations, snacks and various items from home."
The Reston Chorale extends our sincere thanks to Reston Connection for highlighting this event in your pre-Memorial Day edition, and to all those who supported our Care Packages for the Troops campaign.
In particular, we thank Reston Town Center and Charm City Concierge for their logistical support; the employees of CACI National Security Solutions (NSS) and NSS Tetra, comScore, Inc., and Gate Gourmet for supporting the campaigns in the workplace; members of Girl Scout Troop #3649 for providing dozens of Girl Scout Cookies, and the volunteers, members and friends of The Reston Chorale for their ongoing support. We also wish to thank Northrop Grumman for enabling The Reston Chorale to launch this effort in 2015.
Because of such strong support, men and women serving our country know they are remembered, and that our community is truly grateful for their service and sacrifice.
Ruth Overton
President, The Reston Chorale