Operation Give

As you know, over 100,000 of our fellow American Citizens, serving in the Armed Forces in the Middle East, will be away from home again this Christmas. I know it is only the first part of September but it is time again to think about sending Christmas Stockings to all of our men and women serving our country in the Middle East.

I know first hand what it is like to be away from home and loved ones during the holidays. But, I am sure as I was they are right where they feel they should be, fighting for our freedoms, as they battle our enemies on the front lines of this war on Terrorism.

I also know what it is like to receive a Christmas present or a Christmas stocking on Christmas Day, when you are so far away from home. It is an incredible feeling to know that someone is thinking and caring about you. A Christmas stocking is a small thing but it sends a much larger message of support and concern for our Troops, as they put themselves in harms way and risk it all every day.

Let's not forget our troops and let's show our continual support by sending as many stuffed Christmas Stockings as we can and let's do it now so they can get these stockings in time for Christmas. The ocean containers of stockings need to leave our warehouse no later than Nov 1, in order to arrive in Iraq or Afghanistan before Christmas.

Last year we were able with all of your support to send over 50 tons of Christmas stockings and presents to our service Men and Women. This year we want to even do more. But we need you help now. If we don't act now the next couple of months will slip by without us even noticing but then it will be too late. They need to know we are thinking about them during the Holidays. You can call me directly if you have any questions, in Utah at 801 259 6336.

Look at Operation Christmas Stocking to check out the list of items that are needed by our troops. You can make stockings, buy stockings, or create gift bags or decorate boxes. Pre-Filled Christmas Stockings and Gift Boxes can also be purchased from our website starting September 15^th.

*Contact us directly to get the details of how to ship your Christmas stockings to us for Free through FedEx. FedEx supports us by enabling you to ship your stockings to our warehouse for free, but you have to contact us directly to get the instructions. Please don't contact FedEx directly about this. The individual operators or station employees won't know what you are talking about.

We would also appreciate your monetary support to help us pay for the Ocean Containers that we ship to the Middle East. Each container costs us about $5,000 and we hope to ship 4 or 5 of these. So you can do the math. It does cost and we do need your help. All of us at Operation Give are volunteers and our warehouse space has been donated by Mesa Systems which is part of United Van Lines, so all of your money goes to help paying for the shipping or to purchase additional much needed items for the troops. We really need your monetary assistance. Please send all monetary donations to our office at 2363 Scenic Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109.

This is a great program and we need your help to send Christmas to our troops. Please don't wait for time is of the essence. You only have two months to make sure that our troops know you haven't forgotten them during the holidays.

Love you all

Chief Wiggles

Doing it the Wiggles way!

Operation Play Soccer

WHAT DO CHILDREN IN THE US AND CHILDREN IN IRAQ HAVE IN COMMON?

A great love for soccer! Children in Iraq and Afghanistan love soccer so much, they’ll play the game with any kind of ball they can get their hands on, including rocks. In the USA our children are fortunate to have the all the resources and soccer supplies they need and more. And I am sure all of you have extras that are slightly used or ones that are now too small. We would like to give everyone an opportunity to donate their new or slightly used equipment, in order to help put cleats on the feet and soccer balls in the hands of children in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Outside the United States, soccer is really the one universal language,” said Operation Give’s Chief Paul Holton, who served as an interrogator in Iraq with the 141st Military Intelligence Battalion. Operation Give is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers in 6 states in the U.S. that work to collect donations. The donations go to our troops to deliver to needy children overseas. Operation Give is a Team Member of the Pentagon’s America Supports You Program. Operation Give has sent more than 65 Forty Foot Containers of Donations, such as Soccer equipment to the Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Operation Play Sports

Children in Iraq love soccer so much, they’ll play the game with any kind of ball they can get their hands on, including rocks.

Paul Holton and Operation Play Sports Paul Holton — known as “Chief Wiggles” to Iraqi children— said he hopes the Iraqi people will form a youth soccer league with the donation of cleats, soccer balls, T-shirts, water bottles and other items.

OPERATION SOCCER BALL

Operation Give Collects Soccer balls, clothes, and equipment. FREE shipping is provided by Operation Give to send these items to our Soldiers who can give these to the children in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have soccer clothes to start more than 40 teams of soccer in Iraq this spring. We are looking for soccer ball donations to complete the project.

Our soldiers can help teach the children, both girls and boys, how to play soccer.

We recently partnered with America Supports You and Philadelphia KIXX Indoor Soccer Team. More than 1,000 Soccer Balls were donated to Operation Soccer Ball for Operation Give to ship and distribute the balls to the soldiers and children in Iraq. We also received soccer balls and equipment from U.S. Soccer Foundation Passback Program. UYSA Invited State Cup Players to Make Dreams Come True at State Cup by donating gently used soccer gear to Operation Give to send to the children of Iraq. Chief Wiggles attended the event.