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Reach Out Center to Hold
Phone Card Drive for Wounded Soldiers
 March,
2005—“Imagine
being wounded in a hospital far from home. You’re frightened
and lonely. All you want to do is call your loved ones, but you
can’t. Now, how would you feel in that situation?”
Appealing to the compassion of the Assumption College community,
the Reach Out Center is holding a Phone Card Drive for wounded American
soldiers recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington,
D.C. From March 15-18, volunteers will staff the Hagan Center information
booth and the Reach Out Center office to collect phone cards of
any denomination for these soldiers, enabling them to call home
to their families and friends at no cost.
The project took shape in December, when dedicated Red Cross volunteer
Monty Plough, wife of President Tom Plough, passed on a tip to Reach
Out Center director Deborah Lynch. She wrote that the number-one
request of these recovering soldiers was pre-paid phone cards, because
the government would not pay for long-distance calls. Therefore,
phone cards were the only option for the wounded to contact their
loved ones at home.
After the holidays, Reach Out Center service director Kristen Lamoureaux
’05 contacted the Walter Reed Center, asking if phone cards
were still in high demand. When she received an enthusiastic “Absolutely,”
the project took off.
In addition to phone cards, the Walter Reed Center also asked for
donations of CDs, DVDs, and video games. Since the soldiers have
little to do between rehabilitation sessions, the medical center
hoped to collect methods of amusement for them to pass the time
while recovering.
“Students thought this was a great idea,” enthused Lynch.
“They’re already planning to burn mixed CDs of their
own favorite music to send to these soldiers.”
Lynch hopes that the Phone Card drive will be a huge success, particularly
with the student body.
“I’ve asked them to put themselves in their shoes,”
she said. “Many of these soldiers are their same age, and
that seems to be resonating with them. They’re thinking about
how they would feel in that situation.”
PHONE CARD DRIVE DETAILS
On March 15, 17, and 18, donations will be collected from
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hagan Campus Center information
booth.
Items may also be dropped off at the Reach Out Center office
any time during the week. The collected items will be mailed
on Monday, March 21, 2005.
Phone cards of any denomination of minutes, CDs, DVDs, and
video games will be collected. Please note that the CDs, DVDs,
and video games may be pre-owned.
For further information, please contact Deborah Lynch in the
Reach Out Center at (508) 767-7142 or delynch@assumption.edu.
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