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Featured Sites |
PeacePartners, Inc. honors our valued partners by celebrating their passion for peace, their
creative ideas, and the wonderful implementation strategies they incorporate.
As we continue to support our partners, it is our privilege to showcase PeaceBuilders sites.
Don't just take our word for it. Read about some featured sites as they explored their problems,
developed their PeaceBuilders solution, and discovered positive outcomes! We invite you to sit
back and explore the fantastic PeaceBuilding events happening throughout the United States and
U.S. Territories. |
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| St. Edward School - Jeffersontown, KY |
St. Edward School continues their efforts to build peace in the world-wide community by
supporting US troops serving in Iraq.
The students and staff at St. Edward have adopted a unit: the 2-320 Field Artillery Regiment
who recently returned home.
Before their return, St. Edward's school secretary who is the driving force behind many of their
service projects, Joyce Curry, along with her principal, Susan Jones, and the unit commander's wife,
Ann Dunleavy, met to discuss how they could welcome the unit home in a special way.
Mrs. Dunleavy had already interviewed some troops upon their return home and asked them all one
question, "What is the first thing you bought when you returned home?" Their answer was unanimous:
a new toothbrush to replace the one they had that was full of sand!
That story inspired St. Edward's 63rd service project: to welcome home the troops. A simple
toothbrush turned into a loaded gift bag of personal care items for all 175 single soldiers who would
have no one back home to re-stock those items for them. Things like shampoo, soap, toothbrushes,
toothpaste, dental floss, shaving cream, razors, and deodorant were included in the gift bags; and
special bags were prepared for the eight single women in the unit.
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All the bags were decorated and filled by St. Edward students, staff, and
parishioners. Local businesses and other schools helped with the collection.
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After the bags were filled, a cargo van was fully loaded, and Mrs. Curry and her husband made
the trip to Fort Campbell to deliver all the gifts. When they opened the doors to the van Mrs. Dunleavy
was shocked and said, "All I ask for was a toothbrush!"
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Mrs. Curry and Mrs. Dunleavy are all smiles at the door of the cargo van filled
with gift bags for returning troops.
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The bags were placed on each soldier's bunk so they had the items they needed when they arrived
home. Along with the gift bags, St. Edward delivered a 10' welcome home banner signed by all the
students. It was displayed in the area where the soldiers gathered when they got off the
planes.
It is an inspiration to witness how much good can be done when people work together. Time and time
again, the students, staff and community of St. Edward delight and impress us with their desire to
build peace not only during school hours but beyond, and not only on school grounds but around the
world.
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