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THE CITADEL HEROES PROJECT:

In November 2007, the Citadel Family Association realized that there were approximately 18 Citadel Cadets who had their college interrupted when they answered the call from their military units to serve our country. The CFA wanted to express appreciation by sending Christmas gifts to all our Citadel Cadets. The CFA gathered Christmas cards, letters, food items, magazines, books, supplies and entertainment items. With the assistance of Col John Carter and his staff, Citadel Cadets who packaged the boxes, these gifts were shipped to our entire Citadel deployed. The Citadel Alumni Association provided postage expenses.

The result was an overwhelming outpouring of support from our CFA families and Citadel Cadets. This mission was given the designation of Citadel Heroes. So this is how the Citadel Heroes enterprise was born.

What started out as a Christmas operation has turned into a long-term commitment to keep this project going for as long as we have deployed Cadets. The year will be changed, but the Citadel Heroes will remain. The CFA soon realized that our Cadets deserved more than just once a year attention; our efforts were therefore expanded to include Easter and July 4th. We also send Valentine Cards in February. We soon learned that our Citadel military share the gifts they receive so we are not only expressing our love and support of The Citadel, but we are reaching out to touch a life of someone we may never know.

On September 2, 2008, the Citadel Family Association was informed that Brian Brennan, Class of 2006, had been severely injured while serving in Afghanistan. We immediately sent an email to all our CFA Volunteers asking for prayers for Brian. At the same time the CFA started a fund to help retrofit Brian's home so his parents could better care for him. The response from our members was tremendous. We had to extend the deadline for collections on two occasions because we kept receiving emails from parents saying "we are sending a check". On September 26th, less than a month after the fund was started, the CFA had collected $3,900.00.

During Parent's Weekend in October, we will have Christmas Cards available for parents to sign. The Christmas Card station will be moved to Mark Clark Hall during the remainder of October and the month of November to allow Citadel Cadets to pick up a card and include a personal message for our deployed.

In addition to serving parents of our current Cadets, the CFA has a prayer chain for emergency needs, such as a wounded Citadel Alumni or a deployed Cadet, or for other crisis that families undergo from time to time. We are in touch with their families through email, letters and get well cards.

And, now we are expanding yet again. A group of Citadel Cadets started a grass roots movement to join the CFA in fund raising for our Military Support group. This year we will continue the Citadel Heroes Project 2008, next year it will be renamed to Project 2009. We hope that we will not have a 2010, but if we do our group will be there to let our Cadets and Alumni know that they are not forgotten.

What can you do?
If you would like to donate items to be sent to our deployed or send a cash donation you may:

MAILING DEADLINES:

If you have questions, please contact Loretta Smith, Project Director, LSmith@caicworksite.com. Or stop by our CFA table during Parent's Weekend or Corps Day and pick up information as to how you can participate.

Here are some suggested items that you may send: