Beverly Hills, MI – Staff and officials from the Road Commission from Oakland County (RCOC) recently teamed up with the Oakland County Bar Association to collect donations for our servicemen and women stationed overseas.
This is the fifth consecutive year RCOC has been involved in this effort. The collaboration, known as Americans Thank Our Troops, has been on-going for 12 years and includes many organizations, businesses and individuals. In involves sending care packages to the troops.
Nearly $15,000 in donations has been collected since December. Numerous items were also donated.
Troops will receive food, personal items, reading materials, entertainment items, puzzles, games, clothing, sundries, letters from elementary school students and more.
The effort is spearheaded by two Vietnam veterans: RCOC Board Vice Chairman Eric Wilson and Oakland County Bar Association member Michael Schloff. The pair joined forces again in an effort to show appreciation and support for those serving the country overseas.
“Honoring our military servicemen and women through this effort helps to show our appreciation and support,” Wilson said. “Many times, their daily sacrifice is overlooked, and we hope this effort shows support from the folks on American soil. We thank each for their service. I also want to thank the RCOC employees who generously donated items and money to the effort.”
“Thanks to many extraordinary volunteers, we’re able to again collect, store, package and mail items to our troops serving overseas,” Schloff added. “This year’s packages will benefit 10 units with ties to Michigan. So far, 125 boxes have been prepared and will be shipped to troops in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq and Germany. Generous donors also cover expenses for everything from transportation to storage-unit costs to warehouse space to packaging material to the cost to mail each package. There is no overhead cost for this effort which makes the entire process amazing.”
In addition to Wilson and Schloff, Patrick Castillo from RCOC’s Construction Division volunteered to deliver a truckload of items purchased with cash donated through the Bar Association’s campaign to the Bar Association’s offices in West Bloomfield Township. Monetary donations were used to purchase goods through the commissary at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County.
Road Commission staff donated numerous items that were collected in drop boxes around the agency. “We are thankful to everyone who participated in this year’s collection and our servicemen and women always appreciate items from home making the time away from family and friends a little easier,” Wilson noted.
Editor’s Note: Attached is a photo of (L-R) RCOC Vice Chairman Eric Wilson, attorney and Veteran Robert Farnette, Oakland County Bar Association member Christina Darrow, attorney Michael Schloff and RCOC Construction Inspector Patrick Castillo as they load items for the veterans into a Road Commission truck.
