Halloween 2008
It's that time of year again! Halloween is only a month away, and we have begun planning to make our 2008 Candy for the Troops campaign even bigger than our record setting 2007. We need our patients to start doing their planning by coordinating with PTAs, sports teams, dance studios, Sunday schools etc.
The collected candy will all be boxed by our office and shipped to Keystone Soldiers, who handled all 5600 pounds last year. The candy is used to make Christmas packages for the troops, to cheer up soldiers who are rehabilitating in hospitals at overseas bases, and to foster relationships with children who provide information to our troops in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This year, there is an added and important item on our agenda. We need checks, in any amount, to Keystone Soldiers to help defray the costs of shipping the candy overseas (which last year exceeded $10,000). I have already enrolled Citibank as a sponsor, and we need others. Any contribution of over $1000 will provide you with signage on the trailer (donated by NFI Freight).
We have also broadened the scope of available donation sites by inviting other friends of Dr. Markus' throughout the region, to join the project. Please begin your thinking about this now, so that by the time Halloween comes around, we will be able to fill our trailer, and hand a nice large check to the volunteers at Keystone Soldiers.
Candy collection hours are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 1st from 10-4. We will definitely be collecting candy on Monday, November 3rd from 9-7, Tuesday November 4th (Election Day) from 9-3 and Wednesday November 5th from 9-7.
For a list of local dentists participating, click here.
2007 Candy for Troops
Watch the Story on 6ABC
about our Halloween 2007
drive.
Two years ago, Dr. Markus came up with the idea to distribute it to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the soldiers could use it to befriend local children. Two of the women who work for him have brothers stationed in harm’s way, and they agreed, the troops could really use the candy.
Last year, they collected and distributed about 1500 pounds of candy, and expect it to be even bigger this year. There are 200 offices nationwide, and three other offices in the Delaware Valley: Dr. Gary Budman in Paulsboro, NJ, Dr. Sander White in Broomall, PA, and Dr. Buzz Waterston in Media, PA. “It was a tremendous project last year, that’s gotten even bigger this year. We hope to see this become a Halloween tradition in dental offices throughout the US in future years. Of course, more importantly, we hope that we can see an end to war, and the need to do this, but until then, I hope to help spearhead the addition of more offices next year. I think the leap from 2 offices last year to 200 this year is a great start,” says Dr. Markus .
Last year, logistics became an obstacle: how to get all that candy out to the troops. But with the help of a great group of local volunteers it all became possible. This year, one of our patients undertook the task of trucking the candy where it had to go. “We truly couldn’t do this without the help of NFI Industries, (National Freight) which is also going to be collecting candy in their local offices,” said Markus.
This year, we have also gotten a local restaurant, BokBok, on White Horse Pike to provide a buy one, get one free offer for kids’ meals. Dr. Markus will be raffling off an iPod. For every pound of candy that kids bring in, they will get a raffle ticket. One lucky winner will be drawn at 7PM on Wednesday November 7th, when candy collection ends. The hours for candy collection are:
Thursday, Nov 1 from 8:30 -4
Friday, Nov 2 from 10-1
Saturday, Nov 3 from 10 -1
Monday, Nov 5 from 8:30 – 7
Tuesday Nov 6 from 8:30-4
Wednesday, Nov 7 from 8:30 – 7
There is also an added bonus for parents: When you come in, we will give you a gift certificate that can be worth over $300 for treatment in our office in gratitude. The big story though, is the smiles on the kids faces that we see when they know that something they worked on is going for the better good.
Twelve young volunteers boxed the candy for its trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks to the Lower Bucks Family YMCA and it’s project: Support our Troops, a tractor trailer load of supplies was loaded Friday (Veteran’s Day) 2006 and Saturday from 8AM until 5 PM and then it was then taken to Fort Drum for shipment to the platoon of Lt. Col. Robert Morshauser, who is serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
