Dog Tags for Kids: That's One Good Idea

War is tough on families, when a parent is overseas. Code Pink notwithstanding, there's not a realistic alternative to what America and other countries are doing to keep terrorists from killing us: but there is something that individuals can do, to help the families of America's military.

Dog Tags for Kids - Grassroots Support for American Military Families

"Charity gives engraved dog tags to kids"
MyFoxOrlando (December 25, 2008)

"LANCASTER, Calif. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- A California nonprofit is on a mission to send unique presents to children whose parents are serving in the world's most dangerous war zones.

"Rose Sliepka has no children of her own, but said she was compelled to make a gift for thousands of kids when she heard about a soldier who wanted to send his children a gift from Iraq.

" 'The only thing inside were some band-aids and sunscreen,' Sliepka said. 'That's all he had access to.'

"Sliepka, who owns an engraving shop, quickly focused on dog tags as something that was meaningful for military families and affordable for her to make...."

The dog tags cost 50 cents each.

Just the same, with 400,000 given out so far, it takes more than pocket change to keep Dog Tags for Kids running. The organization depends on donations to keep helping military families.

Dog Tags for Kids - From a Parent Overseas to a Child at Home

"100% of Your Donation Delivers Smiles"

"Help us send dog tags to troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan so they can send them to their kids back home!

"We desperately need everyone's help. Please see our Donation Page for more information. Thank you!

"This is a grassroots effort to show our support for the troops and their families. We tried to think of something we could send Dad or Mom that...."

"Letters and Quotes"

"...We have a ton of soldiers here, who come into our police station and see the 'LOVE DAD' dog tags. We give them out like candy and the soldiers always come back and tell us the praises they get from thier families about the dog tags...'How neat it is', 'What a good idea, who thought of it?', 'The kids take them to school and show as show and tell'....stuff like that. A couple of our soldiers have got them from you guys and they run out real fast....."

Dog Tags for Kids shows a sample of the dog tags "in Appropriate Service Colors" - DTfK used to give Photo Tags, too, but got swamped by the demand.

There's a donations page, where a person has a couple of options for supporting the program.

Individuals Make a Difference

Hats off to Rose Sliepka, one woman with a good idea and a lot of grassroots support.

Related posts, on Individuals and the War on Terror.