U.S. Air Force veteran Deborah Seevers and Celeste Eckerman with buckets of candy gathered by Minden Elementary School students to send to the troops.
Veterans Day is Saturday, and many elementary schools are showing gratitude and support this week, including Minden Elementary School where students donated their Halloween candy to military service members unable to be home for the holidays.
Students collected over 300 pounds of candy over the three days following Halloween.
Parent volunteer Celeste Eckerman organized the candy round up with the intention to “get candy away from the kids,” but it turned into an outpour of generosity and support for service members.
“I am filled with emotion about this,” she said. “A simple altruistic gesture turned into this beautiful expression of gratitude. As a community we are thankful for those who protect our country at the expense of spending holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas away from family.”
Eckerman said the candy will be donated to Move America Forward, a nonprofit that sends care packages to deployed military members of all branches.
“The kids want to give hugs and say thank you for their service,” she said. “Many of them are taking the one piece of candy treat they packed for snack and donating it and countless children have written notes expressing gratitude to accompany the care packages.”
Eckerman said there were many helping hands with the project including Bernadette Fristen’s second grade class who made billboards about the project and where to donate. She said they also made a video to thank the Army.
Minden Elementary Counselor Ashley Georing and the Hope Squad (a student club at the school) also made a video to be shown in classes explaining the project and opportunity to donate and MES Principal Crespin Esquivel helped spread the word to the teachers and staff.
Eckerman said the Army, Air Force and Marines sent volunteers to help collect the candy and receive thanks from the children on behalf of the deployed service members.
“I asked SFC Hutchings from the army Recruiters, ‘do you ever feel like a super star? These kids sure think you are amazing.’ He answered, ‘no.’ To his own kids he is just dad. To the kids at MES, he and other service members are deserving of utmost respect,” said Eckerman.
The Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center is conducting its annual ringing of the bells for Armistice Day 11 a.m. Saturday in Gardnerville.
Last weekend veterans Jim Glimpse, mother Florence Glimpse, Neil Koneony and Wayne Scarpaci participated in the “Everyone Has A Story” presentation by Historical Society Education Director Kay Kocian at the Museum.
