Irving’s Townley Elementary sponsors letter writing campaign to soldiers overseas

by PegNews wire

On January 10, students at Townley Elementary School held assemblies to begin a letter writing campaign both to practice their writing skills and to show their support of soldiers stationed overseas.

Irving Mayor Herbert Gears joined Townley Principal Doug Sevier in speaking to the students about patriotism and how they can show their support for the troops by writing letters to the soldiers. Cindy Porter, owner of a local military surplus store, will be shipping the student’s letters free of charge to Fort Hood, Texas, where the letters will be forwarded to soldiers overseas.

Porter also spoke to the students about donating books to the soldiers for the United Service Organization's United Through Reading program so soldiers can read to their children in a recorded video message before being deployed to Iraq.

According to Josie Avila, fifth grade bilingual teacher at Townley, the letter writing campaign and the book donation program was designed to encourage the soldiers to keep fighting for freedom and for Townley students to hone their writing skills.

Air Force Master Sergeant Quinton Holloman - husband of Yolanda Holloman, Read Right program teacher at Townley - has been stationed in Iraq in the past. He told students that having writing skills is very important for your life and to make sure to use all of the tools that teachers have taught about grammar, punctuation and writing. Holloman also spoke about how important it was for him to receive letters that students had written to him when he was deployed overseas.

“As a soldier, it is important to know you have support at home,” Hollman said. “I still have my letters, and I’ll always have them. When they turn yellow and crumble, then I’ll have yellow crumbles…but I’ll always have them.”

Source: IISD