Blue Star Mothers seek names of active military
The women who are members of the Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina are looking for the names and addresses of military personnel who are deployed outside the United States and will be deployed until at least mid-November.
The Blue Star mothers need names and addresses of those service members so that they can send Fall/Halloween hero boxes to as many as possible, and they need to know that the person will not have left that address before the boxes arrive.
They are also asking for donations for items to go in the boxes.
Carol Dion, the new second vice president of the group, said it costs about $16 to mail one of the boxes, so cash donations are also welcome.
Items that are wanted for the boxes include candy and other snacks, and toiletries. The mothers will be collecting items and donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Surfside Wal-Mart and will give shoppers who are interested in helping a list of wanted items.
Blue Star mothers all have one thing in common; they know how it feels to have your son or daughter serving in the armed forces of this country. They provide for each other “a listening ear…a shoulder to cry on.” And they are continually involved in projects to support the American men and women in uniform around the world.
Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina meet on the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. at Moose Lodge 1959, 479 Burcale Road in Myrtle Beach. They welcome new members.
For the past four years, the local Blue Star mothers have been sponsors of Wreaths Across America. They have started fundraising for that early this year in an attempt to provide a wreath in December for for every veteran buried at Florence National Cemetery. For every two wreaths that the group sponsors, Wreaths Across America will provide a free one.
The second annual dinner/dance fundraiser will be from 5-10 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Moose Lodge 1959. Tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple. All proceeds will go to the Wreaths Across America project.
On Sept. 27, the Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina will be honoring Gold Star Mothers at Moose Lodge 1959 at 2 p.m. This is the fourth year the group has honored mothers and other family members of men and women who died while in military service. Last year, eight Gold Star mothers were honored.
Information about planned events and contact information can be found on bluestarmothers Coastal Carolina on Facebook and on the groups Internet page at www.bluestarmothersofcoastalcarolina.com.
The names and addresses of service members to receive the boxes may be emailed to Dion at proudarmymom@aol.com. Please send your contact information in case there are questions.
This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Blue Star Mothers seek names of active military."