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Hundreds of Beanie
Babies and more than six dozen soccer balls have
made their way into the hands of Iraqi children
thanks to the efforts of Easton residents.
Easton resident Paula Vogler and her family began
collecting and shipping the toys and balls to Iraq
this fall.
Vogler got the initial idea from a newspaper article
she read about a Beanies shipment program. She
contacted Roy Blanchard, a Southeastern Regional
School teacher serving in Iraq, and offered to send
the small stuffed collectibles to the Iraqi
children.
Blanchard, who had been coordinating shipments of
school supplies to the area, put Vogler in touch
with Sergio Caro, a soldier Blanchard knew from
Civil Affairs on a base in Mosul, Iraq.
Thus, Beanies Without Borders, was born.
"I was looking for a way to get involved," said
Vogler, who has a tradition of military service in
her family. Her father, three uncles and a brother
all served in the military. "(The war) seemed so far
away and out of touch. It seemed like a way the
whole family could get involved."
With the help of friends, strangers, and the Easton
Public School system, the program has shipped more
than 700 beanies to be distributed to the children
to Kurdistan in northern Iraq.
Vogler's three daughters have put up posters around
the neighborhood, written letters, and help pack up
the donations.
"We go through them all ourselves and it's fun to
see how many we actually get," said Vogler's
daughter, Kelly, 15. "It's fun to box them up. I've
gotten to be a pro at filling out all the customs
forms."
A few e-mails sent out in the beginning of December
have brought packages of Beanies from friends but
also strangers who have received the e-mail and
responded. MOMS groups in Warwick, R.I. and the
South Shore of Massachusetts are running collection
drives.
The Student Council at Oliver Ames High School
gathered more than 300 Beanies while another group
at OA, SAFE, is coordinating the effort at the six
other schools in town.
"I feel bad for the kids in Iraq," said Kerri Vogler,
11. "They have nothing and are going through so much
like a war and I have so much. I'm glad people are
helping out."
"I think it's been fun to do," said Kristen Vogler,
13. "It was fun to see the faces of the kids in the
pictures. They look happy."
In addition, the Voglers are also supporting the
Operation Soccer Ball program by shipping soccer
balls to Caro.
Soccer is a popular sport among the children but
like the toys, soccer balls are hard to come by. The
balls are taken up into a helicopter and dropped to
the children.
Grogan/Marciano Sporting Goods of Mansfield, Piesco
Sporting Goods of Easton, Soccer Spot in Milford and
even Brine, a manufacturer in Milford, have
contributed to the effort.
In addition, Fore Kicks, a Norfolk indoor athletic
facility, has donated balls left behind by players.
State Sen. Brian A. Joyce, D-Milton, has also asked
his constituents to help out as well.
A total of 75 balls have been sent so far.
"The best outcome of any of the trips or 'missions'
that we have done as part of the reconstruction of
this society and country has been by far the feeling
that soldiers and airmen show and receive by the
appreciation of the kids from these villages and
schools," Caro wrote Vogler. "It has been asked,
'Why are we here?' It is answered by the faces of
the kids that we see and the schools that receive
the donations of America or 'Amrica' as it is
pronounced by the kids."
If you would like to get involved with this program
by contributing Beanie Babies, soccer balls, or
helping out with shipping cost, contact the Vogler
family at 508-238-0747. If you would like to
contribute school supplies, contact Roy Blanchard at
Southeastern Regional at 508-238-4371.
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