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Student Collects For the Troops

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune Correspondent

Published: December 21, 2008

Brittany May collected more than 1,000 items for troops stationed overseas.

For the Hudson Middle School eighth-grader, it was a family affair. Her uncle, Joey Jarrel, is shipping out with the National Guard to Afghanistan after Christmas.

"I was worried at first, but then I got this feeling that he'll be all right," said Brittany, 13. "I think an angel will watch over him."

When Brittany heard about an Operation Shoebox effort at her school, she decided to participate right away.

This is the sixth year for Hudson Middle's Operation Shoebox campaign. Last year, the school sent 77 boxes overseas.

Brittany went all out.

One Friday in mid-November, she and her mom, Julie, made fliers advertising the effort and placed them on mailboxes around their neighborhood.

That Sunday, Brittany and brothers Chase, 3, and Trey, 1, took a walk around the neighborhood to collect the items. She figured their strollers could double as carriers for the donations.

"This was a family effort," she said.

Even two sturdy strollers could not hold all the donations. She had to make several trips to collect the 30 or 40 bags of donations, which included four boxes of sunglasses, handmade ornaments and cards, puzzles, shampoos and conditioners, gloves and other items.

"Everything you could think of," Brittany said.

Brittany enjoys doing good things for people. Last year, she participated in a Toys for Tots donation drive. The National Junior Honor Society member hopes to do more volunteer work in the future; especially efforts that help the troops.

"I always try to put myself in other people's shoes," she said. "If you make other people happy, you make yourself happy."

For information about Operation Shoebox, go to www.operationshoebox.com.

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