Eagle Scouts
Thank you for your interest in supporting Iraq and Afghanistan Children. Operation Give and Fed Ex has partnered with TAO Project to ship items collected by Eagle Projects. As of Feb 2010 shipping can be free after getting approval from TAO Project. You will need to sort, box and label the items and deliver to a Salt Lake City address.
Here are the Items in greatest need. The concept you need to understand is, Afghanistan in particular, does not have an infrastructure and the basic necessities of life are rare and hard to find. Please review this list and decide what you want to concentrate on. You may pick all or just a few types of items to collect.
Important things to remember:
- The Scout Committee reviewing your Eagle project is looking to see if you have the ability to develop a concept, make a plan, and organize your troop and neighborhood with specific assignments, follow-up, and timelines. They want to see if you can be a leader by directing your project. The worst thing you can do is do all the work yourself or have your parents do it for you. You should be the orchestra director, directing and leading your project.
- When you collect the items you choose to focus on, sort through them and throw away any items that are not useable. All the other items should be clean and of value. Shoes, coats, clothing do not need to be new but they need to be in good condition. Place all the items in boxes of the same type. E.g. shoes in one box, coats in another, school supplies in another. The boxes should be of good condition and strong enough to make a trip half way around the world in a shipping container. Mark the boxes on the outside indicating what items are inside. This is not a detailed list but a general list. E.g. "shoes", "school supplies".
- If you would like the Soldiers to send you pictures or a note on how your items were distributed you will need to write a letter and place it on the outside of the box in an envelope. Title the envelope "Dear Soldier, please open" In the letter give a short description of your project, thank them for their service and give them your email address and ask them to send you some photos giving out your supplies. It would be nice if the letter you type had a picture of yourself in your Scout Uniform. Every Soldier loves the scouting program.
Here are the items you can choose from:
- Pens & Pencils (kids frequently share one pen per family) sometimes only the child who has the pen gets to go to school.
- Back Packs, for kids going to school
- School supplies (any kind), paper, markers, scissors, tape, (everything)
- Some books, small, math etc, (no religious books).
- Shoes, any size, any type
- Coats, anything warm. The winters in Afghanistan are near identical to the winters in Utah.
- Clothing of every type. No religious symbols on the clothing. No underclothing, no under wear. Thermals are OK.
- Soccer balls, deflated, they can inflate them later. This is a BIG hit with the kids
- Hygiene kits, shampoo, soaps, wash cloths, wash towels, combs, brushes etc.
- Tooth Brushes, Tooth Paste
- Baby clothing of every type
- Blankets
- Things for mothers, cooking pans, Tupperware, cooking utensils, (anything your mother would love to have in a kitchen). They do not have in door kitchens; their kitchens are all out doors (in Afghanistan) and heated by wood scrapes the kids collect.
- Aspirin and Tylenol in un-opened containers. Do not spend a lot of energy collecting large quantities; just throw a few bottles in with the other items. They understand the use of both but cannot get access to them.
After you finish collecting your items and box them up by category with a general written description on the outside e.g. "coats", you will need to make an appointment to meet with me in Orem, Utah to review your paperwork, review your project and have me sign it off. I will give you the address in Salt Lake City where you drop your items off. If you live to far away to make a trip to have me review it before you start, we can have a phone interview. When the project is complete you will need to see me in person for the final sign off. I would prefer that if all possible you meet with me before you start.
Documentation: You will need to document everything you do such as a short journal. I will be asking you for a short write up and a picture of yourself standing next to your collected items. This write up and picture will appear on our web site under "Eagle Scout Projects".
Good Luck and thanks for choosing the most awesome project you could support. At the same time you will be assisting our Soldiers with their second mission: Changing their hearts and minds through humanitarian service and personal relationships.
Layne S. Pace
President