Making a difference....
OSC Charitable Contributions for 2007-2008.
What a Fabulous Year!
-by Grand Forks OSC Charitable Chair
The GFOSC has much to be proud of as we wrap up the 2007-2008 year. We have been able to provide funds to many worthy organizations on a local, regional, and national level. The OSC donated a total of $1700 to national organizations including the Air Force Enlisted Foundation, the Air Force Village, Fisher House, and the National Military Family Association. In addition we are coordinating with the Airman and Family Readiness Center for a $500 purchase from the Military Child Education Coalition. I encourage you all to do a web search and see what these great organizations are doing for military families.
At the regional level we donated $250 to the Grafton Developmental Center for their therapeutic kitchen and living skills area. The OSC has had a long relationship with the Developmental Center and it was wonderful to help them on this project. A donation was also made to the Northwood relief fund to help in the recovery from the 2007 tornado. Besides being a part of our extended community, many of our military families were directly affected by the storm. A $300 donation was made to the Northlands Rescue Mission in Grand Forks. This shelter is very important to the Grand Forks community, providing shelter and support to our homeless and impoverished.
Locally, most of our funds went to helping our young people in one way or another. Donations were made to the Boy Scouts to purchase Eagle Scout recognition kits for Air Force youths and to help Troop 319 offset the cost of gas for their upcoming summer trip to the Black Hills. A Girl Scout from the base community also received funds to help her complete her Gold Award. This donation has the “trickle down” affect in that her project with bring warmth (literally, she is making lap blankets) and caring to the elderly in our area. In addition, a donation was made to the American Legion Auxiliary to pay for the sponsorship of a delegate to Girls State this summer.
Twining Elementary/Middle School received two separate donations this year. The OSC donated fifty percent of the money needed for the school to be part of the Newspaper in Education Program. This program provides newspapers and educational supplements to the school. In addition, the OSC donated $500 to the Eighth Grade for their “Classroom in the Badlands” trip. This annual trip allows base student to see first hand what they are learning about in a variety of classes at school. They visit the State Capital, Fort Abraham Lincoln and the Mandan Indian Village. The students explore Medora and the Badlands. They will also visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center and Fort Mandan. All together it is three very busy days of history, geography, government, botany and so much more…
The GFOSC has capped off a successful year of charitable giving by sponsoring a “Crow’s Nest” for Ali’s Boundless Playground to be built in Sertoma Park in Grand Forks. This playground is the dream of Ali Karpenko who was born with Spina Bifida and wanted to create a place for all children to play. The Grand Forks Park District donated the land and will maintain the playground while the Arc and the local Sertoma organization are leading the way in organizing and fundraising. Ali’s Boundless Playground is designed to be accessible to children with disabilities. This project will allow children of all abilities to play together and enjoy the joys of childhood. You can learn more about this wonderful project at http://www.gfsertoma.com. You can even click on the link to see the piece of equipment your charitable dollars purchased!
Thank you all for your support this year. The Charitable Committee was able to support over $6500 in requests in addition to the $6500 worth of scholarships the OSC awarded this year. Remember, all these wonderful things were made possible by the proceeds from the Thrift Shop. Your monthly dues support our social and operational costs, but all charitable funds are derived from the Thrift Shop. So a big, big thank you to our donators, consigners, and our fabulous volunteers. Go ahead and get involved, you can just show up to volunteer during store hours or call the liaison if you have questions…on the job training is included. I can’t wait to see what good we can do next year!