In honor of National Veterans Awareness Week, students from Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center thought of various ways to show their appreciation to veterans in all parts of the world.  The students from the Education Elite committee completed several projects, such as writing letters to military members and their families, designing banners for VA patients, and donating old cell phones to “Cell Phones for Soldiers.” 

One project that students took part in was Operation Appreciation.  Through this program, the students were able to express their appreciation and offer encouragement to military members and their families through letters and thank-you notes.

The students also wrote over two hundred letters to various veterans at Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville.  Students from each department on center signed a number of banners for the veterans as well.  After the letters and banners were completed, two students from the Education Elite committee, Coady Kilgore and Benjamin Parks, visited the VA Medical Center to hand deliver them.  Benjamin Parks commented on the experience: “It was awesome to go to the veterans’ hospital and deliver the banners and letters.  It felt good, because they gave me my freedom!” 

During the week, the students completed another project to show their respect for military members.  The students collected over seventy used cell phones and donated them to “Cell Phones for Soldiers.”  “Cell Phones for Soldiers” is a non-profit organization that collects old cell phones to be recycled for cash and then sends the proceeds to be used to buy prepaid calling cards for our soldiers serving in the Middle East.  Their goal is to provide every US soldier with a way to call home for free. 

Since beginning this project, the students from Schenck Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center have also decided to now become an official drop-off point for used cell phones.  All residents have to do is drop off their used cell phones, and the Schenck students will gladly mail the cell phones to “Cell Phones for Soldiers.”  The students are pleased to continue working on these projects throughout the year as Coady Kilgore states “It’s an honor to complete these projects for the veterans.”