Help Support Our Care Package Program - 3/20/2010 - Summerville at Voorhees Senior Living - Voorhees, New Jersey
| When: | Saturday, March 20, 2010 |
| Time: | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm |
| Where: | Summerville at Voorhees Senior Living 1301 Laurel Oak Road Voorhees, NJ 08034 |
| Contacts: | Michelle 856-904-5715/856-783-8383 Toniann - 215-869-5915 |
As our military men and women continue to go into harms way, The Yellow Ribbon Club continues to send many "goody boxes" to them while deployed. We are receiving more and more letters, pictures and emails from the troops saying how important the “goodies from home” are. They are not able to get their favorite candy or snack. They may be out on missions for days on end and would love to have quick wipes, but what we are hearing the most is that they love to receive a box from the U.S.A.
We have packed and shipped a lot of boxes and our supply is very low. We want to keep up the momentum but have slowed down due to lack of supply. Therefore, we are going to hold a drive for items at Summerville at Voorhees, a Senior Living Community in Voorhees. Please view our printable list of items on our website www.yellowribbonclub.org. If you can drop off just one item, it would be a huge help.
The Yellow Ribbon Club will be on hand to exchange yellow ribbons to those who bring goodies for the troops.
‘All The Prayers That My Family Said Were Answered’
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Northwest Herald - December 20, 2009 - The shout was followed by loud cheers Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Park, as a throng of friends, family and supporters prepared to greet U.S. Army Capt. Jason Schwab upon his return from Afghanistan.
Schwab, 26, graduated from McHenry East High School in 2001 and graduated from West Point in 2005. He trained to become a Kiowa Warrior Helicopter pilot and was deployed to Afghanistan on Dec. 17, 2008.
Now, less than a week before Christmas, Schwab was returning home.
The caravan of vehicles was led by a McHenry police car and a McHenry Township fire truck. Sirens and horns sounded. Schwab exited a white, armored Ford Excursion and made his way down a sidewalk lined with flag-waving well-wishers, greeting old friends and acquaintances as he went.
“Where’s my mom at?” he said as he reached the end of the line, and with that his mother, Karen, stepped forward and hugged him.
“I knew something was up,” Schwab said to the crowd. “[But] I had no idea this was here. Thanks for coming out.”
Among those on-hand and organizing the welcome home were Warriors Watch Riders, the McHenry American Legion, the McHenry VFW, and the Polish Legion of American Veterans.
“We very much welcome you home today,” McHenry Third Ward Alderman Jeff Schaefer said as he presented Schwab with a proclamation from the city.
After Schwab landed at O’Hare International Airport, he was taken to the Des Plaines oasis were the caravan that would take him home to McHenry was formed.
“It was awesome. He was shocked, he had no clue that was going to happen,” said Schwab’s 28-year-old brother, Brandon. “He was impressed. We pulled into the first place and there were flags everywhere, and some of our family was there. He felt so special driving here.”
Each of the veterans groups made a presentation and Schwab added his signature to a banner from Warriors Watch Riders which thanks veterans for their service.
“It means a lot to me that the whole time I was gone, people were thinking about me,” Schwab said. “All the prayers that my family said were answered; I was kept safe. I didn’t expect all of this.”
Evesham Fan's Fundraising Idea Rocks
Phillyburbs.com - October 30, 2009 - As songs such as "Even Flow," "Jeremy" and "Corduroy" bring down the Spectrum in Philadelphia, a local Pearl Jam fan has a special cause on his "Wish List."
David Silver, 34, of Evesham, is using the popular rock group's four-night visit in Philadelphia to raise money for the Yellow Ribbon Club, a group that supports troops by sending care packages overseas and organizing welcome-home parades for returning soldiers.
Silver is hoping "Yellow Ledbetter" sparks fans to think of the Yellow Ribbon Club.
"Pearl Jam fans are great," said Silver, who organized pre-concert fundraisers before each of the four shows in South Philadelphia. "For the last two months, we have been receiving all kinds of rare Pearl Jam items to raffle off. Local businesses, sports teams and radio stations all have been donating. People have been so charitable."
The items were collected through a nonprofit organization called the Wish List Foundation, which is run by Pearl Jam fans nationwide. The group picks charities to raise money for in each city the band visits during its tours. Silver was able to convince Wish list members that the Yellow Ribbon Club was worthy of attention.
"The Yellow Ribbon Club does so much for our troops," said Silver, who is a member of the Evesham-based organization. "What they do and what they stand for makes getting up in the morning and living worthwhile. Sending things to troops who are missing their families is the least we can do. There is really no way to repay them for what they do."
The club will be fundraising before each of the remaining two shows this weekend. Silver and other members will be at McFadden's in Citizens Bank Park today from 3 to 7 p.m. and at the Philadelphia Turf Club on Packer Avenue on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
Saturday's pre-concert event originally was scheduled for McFadden's but plans changed after it was learned that the Phillies would be playing Game 3 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park that evening.
"We couldn't get the time we wanted, but we were grateful that the Turf Club was able to get us in there," Silver said.
Flyers and Eagles game tickets, gift cards and autographed jerseys and equipment were some of the top prizes in the raffles and auctions before the band took the stage Wednesday and Thursday. Similar items will be up for grabs the last two nights.
All proceeds will go directly to the Yellow Ribbon Club and the Gift of Life Family House, which benefits patients who need organ transplants. The Wishlist Foundation has raised more than $300,000 since 2004.
Silver hopes to add significantly to that total as he said he is expecting a substantial crowd, especially since the two shows will be the last performed at the Spectrum before it is demolished.
"People have been very good about giving money and donating items, especially in this economy," Silver said. "The response has been great."
To make a donation to the Yellow Ribbon Club, visit http://www.yellowribbonclub.org/
Bayville Dad Surprises Son Home on Leave
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APP.COM - September 5, 2009 - BERKELEY - Staff Sgt. Richard Baumann was looking forward to a quiet day trip to the zoo Saturday.
Instead, the 29-year-old Bayville native, home on leave from Army hospital duty in Heidelberg, Germany, got a 100-motorcycle escort to a hero's welcome celebration at Whispering Pines Park.
His father, Richard Sr., put the event in motion without breathing a word to his son. The elder Baumann has joined in memorials and welcome home events for veterans for more than three years as a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, a nationwide group of motorcycle riders with a mission to honor returning troops.
"He's always felt there's been a hole in his heart, because he's wanted to do this for his own son," said Barbara Baumann, the soldier's mother.
Since he enlisted shortly after graduation from Central Regional High School in 1998, the couple's son has been stationed around the nation and in Europe. He served a nearly 15-month tour in Iraq as an Army medic.
Amid all that, he married his best friend and had a baby. There just hasn't been much time for a party. And, by all accounts, the younger Baumann was just fine with that.
"The boy has more bragging rights than any 10 people I know," said neighbor Frank Disciorio. "But you'll never hear it out of him. That's just the kind of man he is."
With Rich Jr. on brief leave in Bayville for his sister's wedding, his dad saw his chance. When he showed up with an army of motorcyclists to whisk his son off for the celebration he thought the young man deserved, the father said his emotions were "through the roof."
Feelings were high at the park, too, where more than 100 family, friends, neighbors and grateful strangers waited with flags in hand to cheer the soldier. At about noon, the deep roar of dozens upon dozens of motorcycle engines joined the sound of the screaming sirens of fire trucks from the Bayville and Pinewald fire departments. The riders rolled into the park down a flag-lined drive ahead of the yellow Corvette carrying the man of the hour and his wife, Thea.
Well-wishers quickly surrounded the couple, and members of the Monmouth County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums broke into a spirited rendition of "The Army Goes Rolling Along."
The crowd reassembled under a nearby pavilion, where Berkeley Mayor Jason J. Varano presented Baumann with a certificate commending him for his service, and Rep. John Adler, D-N.J., expressed gratefulness and support. Many onlookers were in tears as singer and longtime family friend, Jim Mooney, led the crowd in the national anthem. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders and the Marlton-based Yellow Ribbon Club stepped forward to pay their respects to the soldier.
When pressured to give a speech, the soldier spoke quietly and without ceremony. Standing soldier-straight in his polo shirt and jeans, the man who had been commended for his actions as a medic under enemy fire admitted he was feeling "a little shell-shocked."
"It's a pleasure and an honor to serve this country and all you great Americans," he said.
As everyone began helping themselves to hot dogs and hamburgers, Thea Baumann struggled to express her feelings about the outpouring of support for her husband.
"He's such a very humble man, and a simple man," she said. She knew he would be embarrassed to be publicly recognized. "But I knew something of this magnitude would help him realize that we remember."
Student Collection Drive Benefits Troops Serving Overseas
Burlington County Times - May 24, 2009 - MEDFORD - A truckload of supplies is on its way to military members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The supplies, including snacks, sunscreen, toothpaste and other essentials, have been accumulating at the 8th Legislative District office on Main Street for several weeks.
The latest round of donations is thanks, in part, to a collection drive held by student council advisers Carolyn Szukics and Cathy MacManiman at Holly Hills Elementary School in Westampton.
A local chapter of the Girl Scouts of America's Girls
Enjoying Membership in Scouting program has also made several donations, said Robbie Kenney, a spokesman for the legislators.
Members of the Yellow Ribbon Club in Evesham packed the donations into a pickup truck Friday. The legislative office on Main Street is the organization's only standing drop-off site.
Leslie Drummond, who founded the club when her son, Michael, was deployed in 2005, said donations previously had been sent to her home in Evesham.
Since the club was founded, more than 5,000 boxes of supplies have been sent to troops overseas through the generosity of a private donor who pays for the shipping, she said.
Drummond said the club has a list of 75 deployed people and sends enough supplies for each one to share with others. The list is growing as new names continue to be submitted to the club.
"We're doing it until they all come home," Drummond said.
Assemblyman Scott Rudder and Assemblywoman Dawn Marie Addiego, both Republicans, said they had attended several of the Yellow Ribbon Club's welcome home ceremonies for troops and heard the organization needed a place where donations could be dropped off.
Addiego said that the office provides a convenient location and that the donations have been pouring in.
Since February, when the office started accepting supplies, the club has picked up three truckloads of donations.
Yellow Ribbon Club Hosts Another Successful Visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center
March 5, 2009 - On March 5, 2009, members of the Yellow Ribbon Club, accompanied by members of the Warriors Watch, Nam Knights, Last Patrol, and the American Legion, traveled to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC to deliver items that were collected for our recovering military heroes.
Thanks to the public for once again supporting this event.
Special thanks to the generosity of our supporters, including Evesham Fire-Rescue, Medford Ford, and Federal Express.
Click on the Thumbnail Image below for a full size copy of the thank you letter that was received from Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
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Yellow Ribbon Club Receives Camden County Veterans Affairs Service Medal
The Yellow Ribbon Club is pleased to announce that we have received the prestigious Camden County Veterans Affairs Service Medal from the Camden County Department of Veterans Affairs during a ceremony that was held at the Kennedy Center at Voorhees on November 6, 2008.
Presented by Lt. Col. Al Bancroft, this prestigious honor is typically presented to Military Personnel and Veterans. Our organization received this award as a civilian organization that is dedicated to supporting our troops abroad and when they return to US soil.
Yellow
Ribbon Club founders Leslie and Mike Drummond, along with members of the club
were on hand during the ceremony to accept the award.
Congratulations
to the Yellow Ribbon Club on receipt of this respected and honored award.
Click here to view photos from the ceremony, courtesy of Birch Wilson - Yellow Ribbon Club photographer.
Yellow Ribbon Club Receives US Army Freedom Team Salute Award
The Yellow Ribbon Club is pleased to announce that we have received the prestigious Freedom Team Salute Award during a ceremony that was held at Ft. Dix on Sunday, October 12, 2008.
Yellow Ribbon Club founders Leslie and
Mike Drummond accepted the award on behalf of the Yellow Ribbon Club.
The
Freedom Team Salute Program exists to recognize the enduring bond between Soldiers,
family, Community, and Veterans.
Congratulations to the Yellow Ribbon Club on receipt of this respected and honored award.
Yellow Ribbon Club Founder Talks About Establishment of the Yellow Ribbon Club
Yellow Ribbon Club founder Leslie Drummond spoke recently during a radio interview on Philadelphia Station WPHT. The interview was conducted during a Lockheed Martin sponsored segment called "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon."
Click here to listen to Leslie's March 20, 2008 interview.
