Edmond's Hugs Project sends cool relief to troops

John Williams Comments 0
Published: July 9, 2009

EDMOND — I don’t have to tell you it’s hot.

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Keeping resolutions?

More than half of 2009 is behind us. How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? Start the discussion by sending comments to jwilliams@

opubco.com.

It only took 15 minutes to mow my yard this week because there is very little grass left.

Temperatures in Edmond have flirted with triple digits and it’s only the first full week of July.

But imagine a place where it is over 100 degrees by 8 a.m. and you have to dress in uniform, carrying a 15- to 20-pound pack on your back.

Right now many of our servicemen and women are doing just that in Afghanistan. Wouldn’t it be nice if they received a care package that would give them a touch of home?

The Oklahoma Chapter of the Hugs Project is putting together these packages, overflowing with snacks, hygiene items, DVDs and CDs, cookies, magazines and yes, even socks. Most of all, they’ll be tucking inside cooling ties that go around the neck to provide relief from the heat.

The group sends out as many as 35 boxes at a time costing as much as $500 in postage. Your generous support in making care packages or a donation would mean a lot to our military folks.

For more information about the Oklahoma Chapter of the Hugs Project, go to thehugs

project.com.

Winning essay

In Tuesday’s My-

Edmond, there was a story about Nate Yokell, a ninth-grader whose award-winning essay in the Armed Services YMCA national art and essay contest was on display in the U.S. Senate’s historic Russell Rotunda June 29–July 2.

An excerpt of his poem about his dad Lt. Col. Richard Yokell was included in the story. You can read the entire poem on the Edmond blog. Go to blog.NewsOK.com/mile103.