Junior Leaders raise money, donate supplies to troops

As the common adage goes – children are the future.

One group of young adults right here in Lafourche Parish is making both the future and the present just a little bit easier for American troops overseas and their families back home.

The Junior Leader Club is made up of 13-19 year old 4-H students in Lafourche Parish, and its 100 members have been raising money and accepting donations to support American troops since September.

Club officer and Central Lafourche student Teddi Folse said the organization picks a different community service project every year, and this year they chose to support the troops.

“It’s really important, because we’re going to be the future,” said Folse. “If we take effort into it now, by the time we get to their position, we’ll already know what we’re coming into and how to make the world a better place.”

The club’s 4-H sponsor Donna Ayo added these projects help group members build ties to the community.

“We identify different needs in the community, so they become aware of what those needs are and then think about how they can address those needs,” said Ayo. “And then they get to reflect on what they’ve done and the people they’ve touched and get in touch with their feelings about what they’ve done.”

Folse said the club held events to raise money and supplies for the troops.

“We did a big raffle, and we all donated items that we had at our house,” she said.

The club has collected items such as beef jerky, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, phone cards, socks and even chocolate.

“We sent them a zip lock bag of chocolate during Christmas,” said Folse. “Even though it’s hot over there, they requested we’d still send them the chocolate. Even if it’s melted, they said they’d just drink it.”

The items, along with a $500 check from donations, were sent to Blue Star Mothers, an organization that specializes in shipping supplies to American troops overseas.

All in all, the offerings resulted in 150 care packages for the troops, and Ayo said the club also included cards and letters demonstrating their support and appreciation.

“After they mailed off the care packages that we had made, they wrote back many letters,” said Folse. “They told us that they really appreciated it, and it was all things that they needed.”

But Ayo said the club members wanted to make sure they wouldn’t leave out the families of the soldiers back home.

That’s why the group also constructed hero blankets and stuffed animals to give to young children of deployed soldiers.

Folse said the club will continue raising money and supplies to support the troops until the beginning of next school year, and Ayo said the group aims to send another batch of supplies to Blue Star Mothers in June or July.

Any Lafourche Parish student interested in helping out the troops can still join the Junior Leaders Club this school year by simply attending any club meeting.

Lafourche Parish Junior Leader Club members Teddi Folse, Amber Ledet, Crystal Melancon, Justin Matherne, Mason Hill and 4-H Agent Donna Ayo present a check to Mona Delatte and Suzie Johnson of the Blue Star Mothers. * Photo courtesy of LAFOURCHE PARISH 4-H