OPERATION: Andy's Gift

WE MADE IT--WOOHOO!!!

2009-02-20T05:43:00.001-08:00

This week we reached our goal of 1,000 balls. Not all of them have been shipped to date, we are working to spread their arrival out a bit but all have been purchased and our count is 1003 soccer balls in about 6 months time. I would like to mention two recent and very generous donations. Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center donated 60 balls to our cause. We also received a very generous (over $1,300) donation from the congregation at Greece Baptist Church in Rochester, NY. A family member lead this charge and we want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to Chuck for all he has done to spread the word about our project.

The project will continue until Andy comes home this summer so if you are still interested in donating, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are amazed by how giving our communities, friends, and family have been and we cannot thank you enough for making this project a great success. I have new pictures to post and will try to get those up this week.

God Bless, Emily

New Location and Close to our 1,000 Ball Goal!

2009-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

So Andy was moved this week to a new base and we got word of his arrival today. We are so thankful that he and his fellow troops arrived safely and we hope that they are getting settled into their new environment.

On the ball front, thanks to so many of you we are nearing our goal of 1,000 balls. We have purchased and shipped or are getting ready to ship 765 balls so far since this project started. I am humbled by the generosity of friends, family, and perfect strangers. This has truly been a group effort and I know we have said it 1000 times but THANK YOU SO MUCH for helping our family make this happen. I know that Andy is SO VERY proud!

Please continue to pray for the safety of our troops and I hope to post more piks shortly. Andy sent some great ones before he moved and they are not posting correctly so will get them up soon.

God Bless and keep spreading the word about our project!

Emily

More pictures from Tape the Teacher to the Wall

2009-01-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Some more pictures from the SCHS Fundraiser!

Smith Center High School Donates $1200 to cause!

2009-01-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been SO LONG since the last post, but the good news is we have a lot to report. Andy's High School stepped up big time when they heard about our little project and held a fundraiser the day before Thanksgiving Break. Below are some details and pictures from the project -- TAPE A TEACHER TO THE WALL

170 SCHS Students participated in the event and were broken out into 17 teams. Several teachers were taped to the wall including: Mr. Evengelidis, Mr. Buckmaster, Mr. Hutchinson (Andy's cousin), Mr. Hobelmann, Mr. Smith (also Andy's cousin), Mr. Sasse, Mrs. Overmillar, Mrs. Isom, and Mrs. Molzahn. Mr. Burgard and Mr. Rust were the official time keepers. Many other faculty and staff members collected money, measured and cut tape and helped to supervise the event.

Twelve 60 yard rolls of duct tape were used and 720 three feet sections of tape were sold at $1 per section. The teachers stodd on a stack of 3 encyclopedia books and after each teacher was taped to the wall the books were pulled away and the timer started to see how long it took for their feet to hit the floor. This took from as little as 3 seconds to over 10 minutes.

The project was a great success and with the help of other school service organizations including FFA, FCCLA, and KAY club a check for $1,200 was donated to Operation: Andy's Gift.

Nearing the 1/2 way mark...

2008-11-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

So thought I would update everyone on our progress. We are nearing the 1/2 way mark to our goal of 1000 soccer balls. As of the end of October we have shipped close to 400 balls and we could not have made it to this point without the generous donations of friends, family, and local organizations throughout the US. You know who you are and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please keep spreading the word and God Bless!!

Emily

Pictures of the HAPPY kids :)

2008-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

So the first shipment of balls arrived in September and they are in the process of being distributed. Andy sent these great piks of some kids in Kabul that just received their balls. This really is what it is all about, how CUTE are they? Keep spreading the word and thank you thank you thank you to all of you who have already donated.

Keep watching the blog, Andy plans to post to here sometime soon as well!

Emily

Buy a ball online to donate to the cause!!

2008-09-21T17:52:00.001-07:00

Again, Bill at Premier Soccer in Raleigh has gone above and beyond for this wonderful cause. If you are interested in buying a soccer ball to donate online, check out their web site at www.premier-nc.com. Click on the Operation: Andy's Gift link and choose the ball you wish to donate or feel free to drop off a ball at either of the Premier Soccer locations.

First 100 balls arrive in Afghanistan, September 11, 2008

2008-09-21T17:48:00.002-07:00

Today, September 11 (how ironic), we received a much anticipated email from Andy. He had received the first shipment of 100 soccer balls and was planning their distribution to the children of Afghanistan. We pray the memory of that terrible day seven years ago is never forgotten and that the work our young servicemen have undertaken protecting our freedoms and safety since that day is never taken for granted. How fortunate we are to live in this great country!

--Carol Stewart, Andy's Mom

A note from Andy's Mom...September 4th

2008-09-21T17:48:00.001-07:00

For those of you watching this blog for our progress...we shipped the first 100 balls yesterday 9/3/08 and will be anxious to hear when they arrive. What a tremendous response to a simple request. Together we can do great things!! Thank you, thank you all!!

NBC 17 Coverage

2008-08-27T18:30:00.001-07:00

Here is the link to the story that was on the news this evening:

http://raleigh.mync.com/site/raleigh/news/storey/7862/triangle-resident-collecting-soccer-balls-for-afghanistan-children

Drop Off Locations in Raleigh

2008-08-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who live in Raleigh, you may have noticed the press we received this evening for our project. It's very exciting and I will post the link to the broadcast in my next post.

Andy sent the above piks last week and I LOVE the one of he and the two kiddos. He is very excited about our project and looking forward to getting some of these soccer balls. I wanted to include the address for the two drop off locations in Raleigh. The folks at Premier Soccer have been so kind to us and I thank Bill and his staff for taking this on. It is so great. Here are the addresses for their two locations:

Premier Soccer - Raleigh

Leesville Town Center

13220 Strickland Road

Raleigh, NC 27613

Premier Soccer - Cary

219 Crossroads Blvd.

Cary, NC 27511

More progress...more piks

2008-08-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Got my first physical donation today from my friend Cheryl and her husband Corey...thanks guys (my parents are WAY ahead of me but we will catch up). Thought I would post another pik of Andy (he is on the left). Keep forwarding the message and keep the donations coming.

God Bless, EM

Message from Andy's Mom

2008-08-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

What a blessing the response to Operation - Andy's Gift has been since we launched this project two weeks ago. Thanks to the generosity of the small Smith and Sherman county Kansas communities where Andy grew up and where we live now we were able to order the first 100 balls to be sent to the children of Afghanistan. The result of a dream by our son, Andy, is being realized and we only wish we could see his face when he receives the first shipment. What a joy these young servicemen and fathers will have distributing them to the happy faces of these young children who have lived in a war torn country all their lives. We pray daily for their safety and the freedoms they so bravely fight for!

-Andy's Mom

Let the Mission BEGIN!

2008-08-19T10:12:00.001-07:00

So this project officially starts today. Operation: Andy's Gift is a self-starter effort to provide kids in Afghanistan with soccer balls and equipment. The project is named after my younger brother (Air Force Captain Andrew Stewart) who is serving our country in southern Afghanistan and who has asked that we send soccer balls for he and other troops to distribute to the Afghan children.

I sent out an email to several friends last night and the response so far is AWESOME!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who are considering donating to this cause. This is the site where I will keep everyone posted on our progress. The goal is to donate 1000 balls prior to Andy returning to the US in the summer of 2009. I know we can do it so keep passing this message along!! Let's hope my house becomes covered in soccer balls in the next several weeks.

Take Care, Emily