| Thank
you to the NAIFA-North Dakota 2008 Convention attendees who
raised nearly $14,000 for Operation Aid for Afghanistan to
enable the
deployed military members in Kabul, Afghanistan to provide
humanitarian relief supplies via Camp Eggers Volunteer
Committee Relations (VCR) to orphanages and refugee camps in
and around Kabul, Afghanistan. The people of Minot AFB
and its surrounding communities have donated goods to
be shipped and distributed to Kabul. Items will be sent to
Camp Eggers VCR and distributed by military members to those
in need. The money raised by the NAIFA-ND members is being used to
fund shipping for this effort. Members attending the
convention contributed between $50 and $5,000 to aid this
effort.
Project to ship final shoe boxes this month (June
2010)
A drive that collected thousands of shoes and blankets for
the people of Afghanistan and other countries is coming to
an end after experiencing 10 months of generosity by area
residents.
Gary and Glory Kramlich of Minot hope to put their final box
of shoes and blankets in the mail June 28. Glory Kramlich
started the drive last August after their son, Army Maj.
Gary Kramlich, mentioned his concern about parents and
children going barefoot in the cold, mountain terrain in
Afghanistan, where he was stationed.
"It's been wonderful," she said of the response.
About 300 boxes of blankets and shoes went to Afghanistan
before the Kramlichs had to end the shipments in December.
The military wasn't able to handle the volume of shipments
at that time. Maj. Kramlich also later left Afghanistan so
shipments there have ceased.
Even when the project stopped accepting shoes, the Kramlichs
said, people continued to drop off donations. The Kramlichs
said they are grateful to the community for embracing the
project and now encourage anyone with additional donations
to consider taking them to Mile One Running Shop. The shop
near Dakota Square Mall is partnering with Soles for Souls
to deliver good used or new shoes around the world.
Kramlich's shoe project previously shipped 26 boxes of shoes
to Haiti through Soles for Souls. The project is giving 30
more of its boxes to Mile One to ship with that
organization.
Another 56 boxes will go to Haiti, Chile and the Philippines
through Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Ohio. People in
Chile are recovering from an earthquake, and the Philippines
has experienced flooding.
To pay the final postage, the project will make use of money
on hand from donations from the North Dakota Association
of Insurance and Financial Advisors, a fund-raiser held
by supporters in California and the Minot Lions.
Lt Col Bair separating boxes from North Dakota at Camp
Eggers, Afghanistan
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