Commendable campaign
What started in an Oklahoma classroom as a letter-writing campaign to support American military personnel serving abroad has spread to several states and countries.
Spencer Cluff, who started his Operation Kids4Troops in his MetroTech classroom, said more than 100,000 letters have been sent to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and aboard ships.
He received a commendation today from Gov. Brad Henry for his efforts.
“I’m going to do it until they all get back from Iraq and Afghanistan,” Cluff said. “As long they’re on foreign soil, I’ll continue doing this to give them the support that they need.”
His idea spread slowly.
Cluff, who is in the Air Force Reserve, said he came up with the idea about three years ago after he saw some negative stories about the war in Iraq. Students responded to it by writing letters. His wife, Carrie, a Yukon elementary school teacher, told her students about it and soon they were writing letters to service members.
Cluff, 36, called school superintendents and by the end of the second year all 540 school districts were participating, he said.
Now 13 states, including New York, Arizona, Florida and West Virginia, and several countries, such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, are sending letters, he said.
Word spread quickly after a Web site was developed for the program. The address is www.kids4troops.com.
Anyone, not just students, can send letters to troops, he said. Names of service members serving overseas and their addresses also may be sent to the Web site.
Cluff, of Yukon, mails the letters and pays the postage. Donations may be made on the Web site.
Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
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