St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (SJNMA) and Cushing Elementary School in Delafield have partnered to collect toys for a boys orphanage in Alqosh, Iraq, near where 1LT Mark Weigel is stationed. 1LT Weigel is a resident life officer at SJNMA who was called to duty in January 2009 for the Wisconsin Army National Guard. First graders at Cushing Elementary School have been pen pals with 1LT Weigel and his team since the current school year began.
Boy Scouts Troop 84 at SJNMA is coordinating the toy drive on behalf of the Academy. The public is welcome to participate. Donations will be accepted until November 30, 2009, and the drop-off location is the Command Post in DeKoven Hall at SJNMA. Ages of the boys and young men at the orphanage are 6-16, and a few suggestions of items to donate include non-digital watches, remote control cars, puzzles, LEGO toys, ping pong balls and paddles, soccer jerseys (any size) or radios with headphones. Cash donations to help with the costs of shipping the items are also welcome.
For questions, contact Tom Mauer, SJNMA Scout Master, at tmauer@sjnma.org, or Kori McKibben, first grade teacher at Cushing Elementary School, at mckibbek@kmsd.edu.
