Young Republicans Club collects mail for soldiers in Iraq

The Young Republicans Club (YRC) is sponsoring a letter drive in order to collect appreciation letters and cards for soldiers in Iraq. The drive began in late November and will end Feb. 2.

Although the YRC typically focuses on political issues, the club developed the idea for a letter drive in November as a way to branch out from their typical activities. The project was in place soon after, but the response has been disappointing, according to club sponsor and social studies teacher Kevin Shindel. "We haven't gotten very many letters, which is unfortunate," he said. "I would like a couple hundred." He acknowledged that the school's liberal atmosphere may be contributing to the lack of letters, as many students may not want to support anything run by a Republican club.

The club will mail the letters to A Million Thanks, an organization that began as a service project by Lutheran High School in California. The group has already sent over one million letters to soldiers in Iraq. Schools, churches and other organizations send collected letters to the school, which then screens the letters to make sure they are appropriate before sending them to Iraq. According to its web site, A Million Thanks's goal is to collect 1,400,000 letters, enough for one for every member of the armed forces.

While nearly all letters will be accepted, the YRC asks that students not include their home addresses and phone numbers in their letters and not write anything political. Letters and cards should not be sealed in envelopes because the collected letters will be sent in bulk.

Letters and cards should be placed in the brown envelope outside of room 243. Students with any questions about the drive can e-mail the club at MBHSYRC@gmail.com.

The Young Republicans Club meets in room 243 from 3 to 4 p.m. every other Wednesday.