Your Vote Can Help DOG TAGS FOR KIDS -- Please Read This Now

Some of you may recall that I write a blog post over a year ago about the military support program Dog Tags for Kids. If you missed the post you can read it now.

Today I got an email from Steve Thompson asking me to vote to help get funds for this volunteer program. I voted, and afterwards I got Steve's permission to post his email here.

Two things: You must give your birth date to vote but it does NOT appear anywhere. And this is the additional info Steve sent:

The deadline is February 26th. That would be great if you can get the word out on your blog. Since this will definitely benefit the military men and women, it would be awesome to get them and their loved ones to vote as well! Winning would mean being able to send over 10,000 tags out to ones in harms' way.

Here's the original email (the boldface is mine):

As many of you know, I have been involved with this wonderful project that supports our military families by supplying them with dog tags to send home to their children.

I'm pleased to say that with everyone's help and support, we have now sent over 500,000 tags to our men and women fighting in harm's way. That makes for over 1 million smiles, and is a great way to thank our troops for the job they are sent to do overseas.

Many of you have graciously stepped up to the plate and donated to make this program the success that it has been, and now I have another favor to ask. We have the opportunity to win $2,500 if we can gather the most votes for the person that has unselfishly dedicated herself to making this project a huge success, [DOG TAGS FOR KIDS founder] Rose Sliepka.

She has been entered in a contest for heroes, and we could use your help. Simply go to http://www.care2.com/hero-next-door/top_heroes and scroll down to find Rose Sliepka from Lancaster,CA in the list and vote. They only require a name, email and date of birth but you can remain anonymous and opt out of any mailings.

For those who are not familiar with our program, you can visit our web site at www.dogtagsforkids.com.

For those in a position to do so, donations are gratefully accepted, but more importantly help us spread the word and get Rose the votes she truly deserves. I thank everyone for their time and trouble and in helping us support our military!

Kind regards,
Steve

VOTE NOW -- IT TAKES LESS THAN A MINUTE.
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION. Her newest project is www.FilmsThatSupportOurTroops.com.

Phyllis' company MillerMosaicLLC.com does power marketing that combines traditional marketing principles and Internet marketing strategies to put power in your hands.

Dog Tags for Kids: A Volunteer Effort for Kids of Deployed Military Personnel Needs Your Help

Below is a guest from from Steve Thompson of Dog Tags for Kids about this very worthwhile project:

The events that transpired on September 11, 2001, confirmed our patriotism as well as our will to pursue justice and stand together in a fight against terrorism. No one knows this better than the men and women serving in our Armed Forces who were poised and ready to perform their duties despite being put in harm’s way.

Amid the rallying that supported our military efforts emerged small victims that were innocently overlooked. The children of deployed parents, unable to grasp the full meaning behind these long separations, tried desperately to cope with the situation.

Military parents tried to keep a connection with their children while serving overseas and often in conditions that left much to be desired. Letters home would contain soothing words of comfort. But something more was needed to really show the young ones that, despite any absence, mom or dad still cared for and loved them.

Unfortunately, items or tokens of affection were not readily available. So an idea was born out of this need:

Rose Sliepka, an engraver in California, had some first-hand knowledge of the shortage of items for deployed soldiers to purchase as her brother had proudly served in Operation Desert Storm. After hearing one such story of a father in Iraq trying to send items home to his children, it was decided that something small and easy to mail which could be sent from mom or dad was just what was needed.

Thus a new grassroots project was born called Dog Tags for Kids. The concept was simple: a military-style dog tag in the appropriate service color that read “With Love From Dad (or Mom)” along with the country (Iraq, Kuwait or Afghanistan) and the year. After all, what child wouldn’t be thrilled to wear a tag like mom or dad, especially when it was sent with love from abroad during the parent’s tour of duty?

The program grew like wildfire and became a tremendous hit with the troops and kids alike. In fact, along with the public’s help, a small group of volunteers has so far been able to produce and ship over 360,000 tags overseas to be returned home. It might be a small gesture, but to the children on the receiving end, there could have been nothing better to get and proudly display.

Dog tags from moms and dads soon started appearing on backpacks, book bags and around the neck, keeping the tags close to the children’s hearts. More importantly, the tags generated smiles! Friends and family at home could see the difference the tags made, and in fact reported that this brought many kids out of their shell for the first time since mom or dad went away. Now, no matter where the children were, they could carry with them a reminder of a loving parent.

Despite efforts to raise awareness and keep such a program afloat, the economic times have presented a major stumbling block. While the public’s generosity has been monumental in getting the project this far, it has appeared at times that the organization would fail in its goal to provide a tag for every member in harm’s way that requested one.

Now funds are desperately needed in order for the program to continue in its drive to support our military. And it’s important to note that, unlike other non-profit groups, there are absolutely no administrative fees taken. Thanks to a small but dedicated all-volunteer staff, all proceeds are used exclusively for tags and mailing.

At present we have a backlog of requests from the troops that we are trying to fill as quickly as possible. In order to do that though, we need help. While we certainly hope for contributions, we understand the difficulty for many. In those cases, we hope that, in lieu of donations, some time can be spent in helping us spread the word to others.

Please tell friends and relatives, employers and associates and those commercial entities you support that may be able to help. It only takes 50 cents to send a tag, and the result it produces can’t be had at any cost much less one so low.

For more information and to donate, visit www.dogtagsforkids.com to see letters of thanks and appreciation from the troops as well as pictures of the kids wearing their tags and smiles! It’s a great way to thank our military men and women for the service to their country and help them stay connected to the important ones in their lives.

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Mrs. Lieutenant, Dog Tags for Kids, deployed military personnel, Iraq War, Afghanistan, Steve Thompson