Cans of 'String' Help Iraq Troops


WINSTED — Soldiers in Iraq have been coming up with interesting ways of doing their jobs of late, and the students in Northwestern Regional Middle School’s Make a Difference program are getting in on the act.

Inspired by a CBS news story out of New Jersey, the students have been collecting cans of Silly String to send overseas for American troops to use in detecting trip wires — wires that may be attached to explosives.

"We saw it on the news, and got in touch with CBS Channel 13 in New Jersey," said Lesley Sullivan, Make a Difference club advisor.

Through donations from students and their families, as well as the profits gained through bake sales in the past two months, the students have been able to collect some 200 cans thus far.

Sullivan said the bake sales raised about $280, which was used to purchase 180 cans. A student, Catherine Beaudoin, brought in an additional 20 cans. The club aims to have 500 cans by the project’s end, though at this point there is no date set and the effort is ongoing.

The Make a Difference club is made up of about 30 students, many of whom are also in the school band. Sullivan said the students are excited to be helping out the troops in Iraq in such a creative way.

"My husband was in Iraq. He said, ‘Make sure you send it to the right place,’ because otherwise things tend to end up getting stockpiled," and end up being left unused, Sullivan said.

Her husband, Capt. Jay Sullivan, returned from Iraq in August 2004. As commander of the 439th Quartermaster Company, he apparently knows a thing or two about the proper way to go about getting troops supplied.

The idea to send the troops Silly String is credited to a New Jersey woman, Marcelle Shriver, whose son requested the material to aid in detecting trip wires. The Make a Difference club will send the cans it collects directly to Shriver, who has arranged a private courier to bring the supplies to the troops in Iraq.

"We contacted her through CBS, because we wanted to make sure we weren’t sending it to the wrong soldiers," Sullivan said. "The post office won’t mail it, so someone [Shriver] knows is flying it over on a private jet."

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