JOINT BASE BALAD – In Oct. 2007, during her 2nd deployment to JBB, one woman was inspired by a 7-year-old boy named Saddam who had been injured by an IED and was brought to the AF Theater Hospital.
"The hospital staff took him in as one of their own," AF Capt. Marci Hoffman said. "No one could find his family since he just moved from a different city, so he was in the hospital for about a month. Every time I volunteered, we would play games, color, or watch TV. He was such a cute kid," said Hoffman. When Saddam left the hospital, he was allowed to take with him one pillowcase full of donations, she said. "I asked where the donations came from and how I could help."
In 2008, Hoffman founded Kids of Iraq, a nonprofit org. designed to improve the lives of Iraqi children, by fulfilling their basic needs and providing them with the means to a brighter future. The org. serves as a way to organize and store the donations that were already being made, she said.
To date, Kids of Iraq has organized more than 30 humanitarian drops and distributed more than 30,000 pounds of donations, she said. "A lot of our drops start by U.S. troops picking up the donations, then they hand over the boxes to the Iraqi officials," said Hoffman. "Those Iraqis then give the donations out to their own people to help establish a trusting relationship."
AF Tech. Sgt. Christopher Burgess, an electrical systems craftsman for the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engr Sqdrn (ECES), and the dir. of ops for Kids of Iraq on JBB, organizes meetings for the program every Wednesday at 8 a.m., at the connex used to store donations near Troy's Place, behind the Maj. Troy L. Gilbert Memorial Chapel. At the meetings, volunteers bring donated items, and sort them for distribution by units that can to go to the villages, said Burgess.
Although the program has many service members who donate their time, physical items and monetary donations are lagging, said Burgess. "The winter season is coming up, so we've been pushing for winter clothes," said Burgess. The program accepts donations of clothing, school supplies, blankets, hygiene items, toys or any other useful item, said Burgess. "Soccer balls are the big thing in Iraq," said Burgess. "Every kid wants a soccer ball."
Spc. Amanda Maynard, an ammo specialist for the 13th ESC, said she plans on volunteering some of her time to the program while stationed on JBB. Maynard said she plans to organize donations from friends and family members at home to help support the program.
To get involved with the program you can visit the org's Web site: [url=http://www.kidsofiraq.org]http://www.kidsofiraq.org[/url] or contact Burgess at:
christopher.burgess@blab.afcent.af.mil
