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CPS. Caitlin Wilkins McCoy Public Affairs Task Force
Students at Ellsworth High School in Ellsworth, Wis., And their social studies teacher, U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Ryan Casper of the 7212th Medical Support Unit, Rochester, Minnesota, donated 1 056 backpacks filled with school supplies for Afghan evacuees now residing at Fort McCoy on December 13.
Casper and his students organized the Ellsworth Hearts and Minds fundraiser after learning that Afghan evacuees would be coming to Fort McCoy, just two hours from Ellsworth, as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
“When the war in Afghanistan ended and the evacuees were heading in that direction, I didn’t know when or how many would be at Fort McCoy, but it was only a two-hour drive away,” said Casper. “I got to go to Fort McCoy, tour the base and see for myself what is going on at the base. I realized there was a real need.
Students raised over $ 13,000 between physical donations and their fundraising on GoFundMe. After the transaction fees, students were able to purchase $ 11,593 in school supplies, including 1,056 backpacks, each containing a pencil sharpener, construction paper, a small personal dry-erase board, and markers, pencils, notebooks, pens and pencils.
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“We were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to do this fundraiser and hope it gets some support.’ Fortunately, we only had support and it was great, ”said Brianna Maurer, a student at Ellsworth High School. “People are paying attention and it was a very good experience. It shows how willing people are to help when they know it’s going to a good cause like this, and how they actually want to be involved in these things.
Donations started pouring in after the GoFundMe link was posted in several news stories, attracting donations from across the country.
“The donations we received from across the country were only from media attention, as we had two different sources of information that put our GoFundMe in their article,” said Kyle Luchsinger, a student at the school. Ellsworth secondary. “Which was phenomenal because with the link we probably got $ 3,000 to $ 4,000 which was amazing. These are people from all over the country, not even from Wisconsin.”
While this type of fundraising was a first for some students, fundraising for school supplies is not a new mission for Casper. Throughout his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, he has helped raise funds for local schools as a way to give back.
“This goes back to 2004 – this school helped collect school supplies while I was in Iraq,” Casper explained. “We were able to collect enough supplies for around 2,000 students in four different schools. The school district helped me do the same in 2008 and 2009 when I was in Afghanistan.
Casper believes that fundraising is not only making positive change for Afghan evacuees here, but also for students, as they see the impact they can create with just a few social media pages.
“My hope is that they hold back if they have a passion for something that they can affect a positive change,” Casper said. “They can do it in a very impactful way. They have access to the world primarily through the Internet and their ideas. So, at the end of the day, the message should be to do good and help others. They see it for themselves now, the impact, the amount. We’re going to bring supplies for over 1,000 Afghan guests, and these guys are from a town of less than 4,000. They come from a small town in Wisconsin, a village, and they can tell the difference.
For the students, the fundraising left a lasting impression on their worldview as they begin to think about their future careers after leaving Ellsworth High School.
“I think for me personally, it really cemented the fact that whatever career I want to go into, I want to be able to benefit people with the skills I’ve learned,” student Ann Lundstrom explained. . “It made me want to continue fundraising because I feel like it was a really cool experience. “
In photos: Fort McCoy and Volk Field over the years
Governor Scott McCallum salutes Sgt. 1st Class Charles Zehner of the Wisconsin National Guard Second Battalion, 127th Infantry based in Appleton, Wis. Before presenting him with the Award for Excellence in Supply at the Battalion 200 level during deliberations of Governor’s Day at Fort McCoy.
Peter Thomson, La Crosse Tribune
Soldiers from the 1775th Military Police Company of the Michigan Army National Guard crawl under doors and windows while training at the Fort McCoy Urban Warfare Complex. PIERRE THOMSON photo
Pierre Thomson
F-16 fighters fly over Fort McCoy during the Governor’s Day review ceremony.
Peter Thomson, La Crosse Tribune
Red Dragon’s annual chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training exercise was held Saturday August 10, 2013 at Fort McCoy. Red Dragon is the Army Reserve’s only CBRN training exercise. (Rory O’Driscoll / La Crosse Tribune)
Rory o’driscoll
Staff Sgt. Aaron Brown, a member of the 458th Army Reserve Unit visits with his brother, Nick Brown, right, and his nephews, 2 week old Sawyer Brown and 14 month old Spencer Brown, during a farewell ceremony at the National Guard armory in Onalaska, Wisconsin. The 458th went to Fort McCoy to train after the ceremony. PIERRE THOMSON photo
Pierre Thomson
Members of the 32nd Military Police Company receive a departure Tuesday, March 18, 2003 as they travel to Fort McCoy prior to their overseas deployment. The noon event was at the Wisconsin National Guard Headquarters, 2400 Wright St., in Madison, Wis. Pvt. Courtney Pfad, 19, received support from her stepfather James Tsikretsis, left, and mother Karen Tsikretsis, of Fort Atkinson. WSJ Photo / Joseph W. Jackson III POSTED LEGEND 3-19-03 Courtney Pfad, 19, receives hugs Tuesday from her stepfather, James Tsikretsis, and mother, Karyn Tsikretsis, before leaving Madison for Fort McCoy.
JOSEPH W. JACKSON III
Members of the 37th Engineers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, parachute from a C130 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The division is on its way to Nicaragua to build schools and health clinics as part of Operation New Horizons. Erik Daily
ERIK EVERYDAY
Soldiers from the 829th Engineer Company listen to speakers during their deployment ceremony at Fort McCoy. Wisconsin National Guard soldiers were heading to Afghanistan to demolish buildings and recover unused equipment from past deployments.
Erik Daily
Lt. Col. Bryan Much, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, Wisconsin National Guard, 126th Field Artillery gives visitors to Fort McCoy an overview of the base during a tour of annual training exercises on Wednesday August 18, 1999.
JIM SLOSIAREK
A sign warns motorists traveling to Fort McCoy that a tank crossing is approaching, Monday August 12, 2002 in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
RON KUENSTLER
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Honek, with the 229th Engineer Company, assigns soldiers to their positions at the Fort McCoy range. PIERRE THOMSON photo
Pierre Thomson
Steve McQuaid, Darlington, Wisconsin, and his fiance, Jacque Lauer, Wyocena, are reunited at Volk Field. 150 Soldiers from the 32nd Military Police Company of the Wisconsin National Guard returned from Iraq on Friday July 23, 2004, at Volk Field near Fort McCoy, Wis. WSJ / John Maniaci
JEAN MANIACI
Fort McCoy Commander Col. Micheal R. Staszak. Photo by Dick Riniker
DICK RINIKER
Scott Wood, of Madison, kisses his wife, Megan Tellijohn, after being reunited. 150 soldiers from the 32nd Military Police Company of the Wisconsin National Guard returned from Iraq on Friday July 23, 2004, at Volk Field near Fort McCoy, Wis.
JEAN MANIACI
Members of the 147th Head to Waiting Families On Wednesday September 10, 2003, most of the 205 members of the 147th Wisconsin National Guard Command Aviation Battalion who deployed to Kuwait in March 2003 returned to Volk Field.
STEVE APPLICATIONS
Friends and family await a Soldier from the 32nd Military Police Company of the Wisconsin National Guard, returning from Iraq on Friday, July 23, 2004, at Volk Field.
JEAN MANIACI
Tyler Brudos, 10, of DeSoto, Wis., Sits on top of a 155mm self-propelled howitzer, with his name tags and face camouflaged, at the Armed Forces Open House at Fort McCoy
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