SAASS, ACSC team up to send clothes, toys to Afghan children Published Feb. 19, 2010 By Carl Bergquist Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The opportunity to send clothing and toys to children and adults in a remote province of Afghanistan was made possible by the efforts of students, faculty and spouses of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies and Air Command and Staff College. Air Force Reserve Maj. Christine Jones, who spearheaded the effort with her husband, SAASS student Lt. Col. Kenneth Jones, said everyone involved in the project appreciated the generosity of military members, civilian employees and members of the local community who contributed. "A lot of the people who donated said they wanted to help but didn't know how. So they were glad we had the project going so they could help," she said. Brig. Gen. Anthony Rock, ACSC commandant, said this was one of many charitable efforts conducted by ACSC students in the current class. "While we may never know the second- and third-order effects of initiatives like this, we as a nation can only hope it sends a message to the Afghan people that we are, and look forward to being, their partners for a better and more secure future," the general said. "This effort is just another example of our Airmen embodying the core value of service before self and how we live our values daily through our actions." Major Jones said the first 500 pounds of the more than 700 pounds of goods collected went to two orphanages in the Afghan province of Paktika, and to the town of Sharana that was recently hit by a fire. "Much of the clothing and toys went to an orphanage in Sharana and another orphanage out in the province, and more than 100 children benefited from those contributions. The toys and clothes arrived toward the end of Ramadan, so they came in handy as reward gifts for the children at the end of the holy holiday," she said. "About a week before we started collecting donations, a fire burned down pretty much all of Sharana. Some of the donations were for adults, and because of the fire, those items were badly needed." Colonel Jones gives credit for the success of the project to his wife Christine and said his contribution was primarily collecting the donated items. "I put out an e-mail requesting that anyone who would like to contribute should contact me. I then collected the items and brought them home," he said. "The students and faculty were very generous, and two SAASS faculty members donated an additional $300 to pay for shipping the goods to a contact in Afghanistan who distributed them." Major Jones said her sister, who is an Army brigade executive officer, is deployed to the area, and she developed the distribution contact, who was extremely impressed with the quality of the items. Major Jones said she has also been deployed to Afghanistan and knows what a difference the items will make in the lives of the children. "Afghan children have only a 50-percent chance of making it to their first birthday," she said. "When you have that to start out with, everything is helpful in surviving." The major said it took between four and six weeks to collect all the donations, with the bulk of the items coming in during November 2009. About 500 pounds of goods have been delivered, with the remaining 200 pounds scheduled to be shipped to Afghanistan soon.