Nursing majors send packages to troops overseas

This Christmas, troops serving overseas will have a little extra cheer thanks to members of Sigma Theta Tau, the international nursing honor society, and their adviser, nursing lecturer Kathryn Rexrode.

The group collected everything from foot and hand warmers to chewing gum and crackers to send to troops serving in Afghanistan.

“We filled 25 boxes,” Rexrode said. “Some went to one of our alums, Brittany Smith ’11, an Air Force nurse who was just deployed to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where injured soldiers are treated and stabilized before being transferred out of the country. We sent about half the boxes to a Marine unit that includes a friend of one of our students, and the other half to Brittany and her unit.”

The drive was organized by Rexrode and nursing majors Joanna Accorsini ’14, Kayce Bourgette ’15, Stephanie Bowering ’14, Michelle Brune ’14, Courtney Coffey ’14, Alicia Colombo ’15, Alexa Cowell ’14, Chantal Cote ’14, Hannah Crowning ’14, Alyssa Davis ’14, Danielle Duffy ’14, Kelsey Kettell ’14, Kristin Martinis ’14, Meghan Parella ’14, Juliann Persico ’14, Genna Rogers ’14, Christina Rooney ’14, Hilary Santos ’14, Hannah Spillane ’14 and Julie Wardyga ’14.

“Our students solicited items for the boxes within the department and by word of mouth, and collected food, toiletries, socks and things to give local children,” Rexrode adds. “Two of the students who are doing service learning in a local school had those children write cards. We also held a bake sale that raised $150 toward shipping. Our mailroom processed all of the boxes for us, which was time-consuming for them because of the customs forms, so we really appreciated that.”

The boxes will be mailed next week, so they will arrive in time for Christmas. “We do still have another opportunity at this weekend’s music concerts to collect donations,” Rexrode says. “Then we’ll send those off.”