Patients at a Tampa VA hospital will receive individual, hand-picked gifts this Veterans Day, thanks to the concern and initiative of students at one of Plant City’s smallest schools.
It all began in Melanie Weitz and Donelle Casselman’s language arts classroom at Independence Academy. Weitz and Casselman had their eighth-graders read an article from Scholastic’s Scope Magazine about a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps named Jose Armenta.
Armenta worked closely with a bomb-sniffing dog in Afghanistan. One bomb was buried too deeply for the dog to sense it, and it exploded when Armenta walked over it. He lost both of his legs.
Armenta returned to the U.S., but his dog was required to stay in Afghanistan. Armenta missed the dog’s support and companionship.
“I thought it was really cool that they had an unbreakable bond,” said Haley, an eighth-grader in the class.
The magazine suggested students write to their congressmen and congresswomen, telling them of the importance of keeping veterans and their work dogs together. Weitz and Casselman’s students wrote letters to Congressman Gus Bilirakis, but they wanted to take their action a step further.
After a thorough discussion among Weitz, Casselman and their students, a big idea was born. The students wanted to collect shoeboxes full of items for the veterans at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa. They first set their goal at 700 boxes.
There are only 594 students at Independence Academy.
“We talked them down to 500 (boxes), but it took some convincing,” Weitz said.
“Knowing our school, we can reach it, or even exceed it,” Casselman added.
Between its main hospital and on-site nursing home care unit, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital has 533 beds.
“I was really excited to do the shoebox project, because I thought it would be really cool to donate to the veterans at the hospital, since they did so much to fight for us,” Haley said.
She brought in four boxes within the first week of the project.
If the class meets or exceeds its goal of 500 boxes, Weitz and Casselman will need some extra help transporting the boxes to the hospital.
“We’re not quite sure how we’re going to get them there,” Casselman said. “We know where and when, but we don’t know how.”
Students, faculty and parents at Independence Academy have been notified of the shoebox project via flyers and emails. But, Weitz and Casselman hope churches and other organizations outside of the school will reach out and join in.
“I want the kids to see the power of community,” Weitz said.
Weitz herself is a veteran of the U.S. Marines. She served as an active duty sergeant from 1996 to 2000, and in the inactive reserves from 2000 to 2004. She said Armenta’s story made an exceptional impact on her because of her own experience.
The class will be collecting shoeboxes through Nov. 7, and the boxes will be delivered to the hospital in time for Veterans Day, Nov. 11. To contribute, bring boxes to the main office at Independence Academy, 905 W. Terrace St., Plant City. The campus comprises portable buildings behind Shiloh Baptist Church.
HOW TO HELP
To contribute, bring boxes to the main office at Independence Academy, 905 W. Terrace St., Plant City. The campus comprises portable buildings behind Shiloh Baptist Church.
Independence Academy suggests filling shoeboxes with the following items:
• Bottled body wash
• Toothpaste
• Combs and shampoo
• Card games
• Letters and cards
• Packaged snacks (without allergens such as peanuts)
• Other similar necessities or comfort items
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.