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Career center rallies for deployed Marine platoon

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 3/26/15

Warwick Career and Tech students recently sent care packages to a Marine platoon.

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Support Our Troops

Career center rallies for deployed Marine platoon

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The Warwick Area Career and Technical Center has been hosting a care package drive for the past two weeks, and on Monday they sent off nearly 20 care packages to a Marine platoon deployed in the Middle East.

Before being deployed overseas for the fourth time Lt. Brian Soscia asked the Kelley-Gazzerro VFW Post 2812 to sponsor his platoon of 30 men.

Bill Cilli, automotive instructor at the center, as well as a member of the VFW Post, reached out to the faculty and staff of the career center to see if the school would help in raising donations for the platoon.

With the help of Liz Charette and Jann Rogers-Gartner the center held a two-week long drive that ended this Monday.

Each discipline was in charge of a different item. For example, the graphic design students were responsible for soaps; culinary was in charge of cheese and peanut butter crackers; and construction was in charge of toothpaste. The items went from snacks, hygiene products, to leisurely items like magazines, books and playing cards.

Charette said, “We felt that if every discipline was focused on a single item we would see fundraising in greater numbers, and we did.”

By Monday the career and technical center had received enough donations to create nearly 20 care packages for Soscia’s platoon.

Charette said that with the holidays over, many of the goods the platoon received then are probably running low, and these care packages can act as a “morale boost” for the soldiers.

She said, “When fundraising you usually find two or three classes stand out, but with this one every class did spectacularly.”

Cilli said, “The kids really showed off their stuff with this community service project. They stepped up.”

William McCaffrey, director of the center, said that the students recognize the importance of a soldier’s job, “protecting our freedom,” and this was the best way for students to show how appreciative they are of those efforts.

John Cesana, VFW state commander, and Raymond Denisewich, adjutant officer of the Kelley-Gazzerro Post, visited the school Monday morning to pick up the care packages and were astounded to see how much had been donated.

Denisewich said the items were just what the young soldiers need, quick snacks to eat on the go and easy games to keep them occupied during their down time.

He said, “This shows that these kids care about people outside their own worlds. They don’t know these men, but they rallied to support them.”

Cesana said the military can be dependent on civilian donations and its important for them to see that the country’s youth support them.

He said it’s nice to see the community coming together. When he was deployed in Vietnam care packages came very rarely and only from family.

“You hear people complain all the time that young people have no respect, that they don’t care, and every generation says that about the next,” Cesana said, “but when you see this you know that’s not true. Obviously they care and they care a lot.”

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