Thank you letter from N. High Shoals city council member Steve Arnold
Thanks again North High Shoals and Oconee County:
In a follow-up to a very successful “Support our Soldiers” Christmas project, the Town of
North High Shoals stepped up once again to show support for local servicemen. The
soldiers we sent boxes of items to last December are serving stateside now but they
encouraged us to help other soldiers who are currently overseas. Our local soldier this
time is Marcus Barton who is now serving in Afghanistan. He is the grandson of
longtime Oconee County and North High Shoals resident Ms. Myrtice Kilpatrick.
As in December, we were blown away with the contributions that many local residents
and others provided. The two local Oconee newspapers and even the Athens paper
helped to get the word out. A variety of items were donated including books, magazines,
puzzles, spiritual materials, CDs, DVDs, candy, food items, socks, snacks, toiletries and
much more. Some folks sent cash which was used to buy other items including some
specific things we heard that Marcus enjoys like Raman noodles, Pringles, and a few jars
of mixed PB & GJ (that’s peanut butter and grape jelly). Marcus might just have a few
items to share with his fellow soldiers because once it was all packed up, 7 boxes were
shipped off to him! But that wasn’t the end of the story.
We had such a great response, including once again, many items donated by Harriette
Browning’s (Oconee County Tax Commissioner) office, that we filled 4 more boxes!
We debated just a little bit about where to send those but settled on a good idea. LT.
Brett Thomas (one of the soldiers we sent items to at Christmas) along with his unit of
Georgia National Guard members, returned home a couple of months ago. LT. Thomas
gave us the commander’s name for the unit that replaced his. He felt sure they would
appreciate some “hometown” support as much as his group did. So, LT. Laura Cook and
her unit of Vermont National Guard members now serving at Camp Phoenix in
Afghanistan will soon receive those boxes of goodies from Brett’s hometown. We hope
they’ll see it as a little Southern hospitality.
Heartfelt thanks to all who donated. The blessings will go further than any will ever
know. The soldiers will certainly appreciate the items but just realizing that folks back
home are thinking and caring about them will likely mean so much more. Special thanks
to Mayor Kraeling and Town Clerk Carolyn Pritchett for all their help packing boxes and
filling out the dreaded custom’s forms. And thanks also to Ms. Bonnie at the High
Shoals Post Office for all her understanding, assistance and encouragement.
And if you missed out on this opportunity to be a blessing, don’t despair as we plan to do
it again in November just in time to honor Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.
Steve Arnold – North High Shoals Council
In a follow-up to a very successful “Support our Soldiers” Christmas project, the Town of
North High Shoals stepped up once again to show support for local servicemen. The
soldiers we sent boxes of items to last December are serving stateside now but they
encouraged us to help other soldiers who are currently overseas. Our local soldier this
time is Marcus Barton who is now serving in Afghanistan. He is the grandson of
longtime Oconee County and North High Shoals resident Ms. Myrtice Kilpatrick.
As in December, we were blown away with the contributions that many local residents
and others provided. The two local Oconee newspapers and even the Athens paper
helped to get the word out. A variety of items were donated including books, magazines,
puzzles, spiritual materials, CDs, DVDs, candy, food items, socks, snacks, toiletries and
much more. Some folks sent cash which was used to buy other items including some
specific things we heard that Marcus enjoys like Raman noodles, Pringles, and a few jars
of mixed PB & GJ (that’s peanut butter and grape jelly). Marcus might just have a few
items to share with his fellow soldiers because once it was all packed up, 7 boxes were
shipped off to him! But that wasn’t the end of the story.
We had such a great response, including once again, many items donated by Harriette
Browning’s (Oconee County Tax Commissioner) office, that we filled 4 more boxes!
We debated just a little bit about where to send those but settled on a good idea. LT.
Brett Thomas (one of the soldiers we sent items to at Christmas) along with his unit of
Georgia National Guard members, returned home a couple of months ago. LT. Thomas
gave us the commander’s name for the unit that replaced his. He felt sure they would
appreciate some “hometown” support as much as his group did. So, LT. Laura Cook and
her unit of Vermont National Guard members now serving at Camp Phoenix in
Afghanistan will soon receive those boxes of goodies from Brett’s hometown. We hope
they’ll see it as a little Southern hospitality.
Heartfelt thanks to all who donated. The blessings will go further than any will ever
know. The soldiers will certainly appreciate the items but just realizing that folks back
home are thinking and caring about them will likely mean so much more. Special thanks
to Mayor Kraeling and Town Clerk Carolyn Pritchett for all their help packing boxes and
filling out the dreaded custom’s forms. And thanks also to Ms. Bonnie at the High
Shoals Post Office for all her understanding, assistance and encouragement.
And if you missed out on this opportunity to be a blessing, don’t despair as we plan to do
it again in November just in time to honor Veterans Day and Thanksgiving.
Steve Arnold – North High Shoals Council
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