Article by Ann Carranza
Healdsburg Patch
Mary St. Clair is shining up her dancing slippers and ripping the plastic off her gown -- all because she's been invited to a ball next month. But the invitation is not based on St. Clair's dancing abilities or her new ball gown. It's because St. Clair, a longtime Healdsburg resident and mother of two grown children, has been sending "care" packages to an Army unit for the last seven years. “We’re sending a little piece of home,” St. Clair says in summing up her mission. Now, St. Clair's tide of good will is reflecting back: the "unit," the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division—the Raider Brigade, is inviting her to the ball.
The “unit,” as St. Clair calls it, is based at Fort Carson, Colorado. In June, St. Clair received one of those heart-thumping 5-in-the-morning calls. Fortunately it was good news. Sgt. Jimmy Barber was calling to tell she no longer needed to send the weekly boxes filled with goodies, because the “boys” were coming home. Then, on behalf of the unit, Sgt. Barber invited St. Clair to the military ball. The ball will be held in Colorado Springs in late August. Now, even with the "unit" back, and even as St. Clair excitedly prepares for the military ball, she still is filling boxes for their next tour. One of her clients at the beauty salon she operates has generously paid for her airline ticket and hotel. “I planned to give it up,” said St. Clair. “But when Sgt. Barber said, ‘I’ll get you the new address,’ I said I’d send a 100 personal boxes this time."
The beginning:
What started as a loving mother’s gift to her son, deployed in Iraq, turned into a seven-year commitment to her son’s unit. St. Clair started sending care boxes to her son, Dustin St. Clair, when he was stationed in Iraq in 2005. “Dustin’s unit had no access to a commissary or cafeteria,” St. Clair stated. “They were assigned to a mountainous region, where there were no resources.” Dustin, 28, left active duty in 2007, attended Colorado State University, Ft. Collins. He remains in the reserves. “I had turned my efforts to local soldiers,” said St. Clair, “Whose parents were friends or acquaintances.
“When Dustin found out,” continued St. Clair, “he asked me to continue to send to his unit.”
Partners in the effort:
The unit began a second tour, this time in Afghanistan and St. Clair swung into action. This time, St. Clair began to seek out partners in local businesses, schools, professional people, churches and other groups. She began by approaching the Geyserville Kiwanis. She asked if they would sponsor any boxes not sponsored by townsfolk. They responded by sponsoring them all. In addition to her hobby as a pilot, St. Clair is a stylist who operates her salon from her home. Each one of her clients donates what they can to her “donation jar,” a small, decorative container she keeps in her salon. Other clients bring bags full of goodies to fill the boxes. Every soldier in the unit receives a personal box sometime in the late fall, most often at Thanksgiving. Those boxes always include a few personal items, plus socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes and floss, small blankets, messages from home and other things the imaginative and caring St. Clair finds and purchases. Each Friday, St. Clair schleps two large flat-rate boxes down to the post office to send to the unit. “The 4th I.D. was called up for their third tour while serving in the inactive reserves,” said St. Clair, “Dustin’s old unit called and asked for more boxes." “The local Geyserville Chamber of Commerce was able to get all the boxes sponsored,” she continued. “About 50 boxes were sent for each tour.” “Harry [Bosworth] was instrumental and he and the Geyserville Kiwanis often take care of the money,” said St. Clair. Bosworth continues to support her efforts. “Fifty boxes was the initial effort,” she goes on. “After that the two boxes a week continued to be mailed out for a total of more than 100 boxes sent during their tour of duty. “Each box is the large-sized priority mail box, which costs $12.75 per box to mail,” said St. Clair.
Can't do it without the community:
On her wall, above a photo of her with an airplane, is the word "Inspire." She does just that when she talks about the project. She's gathered strong supporters from around both the Geyserville and Healdsburg communities. "This isn't about me," said St. Clair several times. "I'm not doing this alone and it's not for me." For one set of boxes, Dr. Bill Harris, a local orthodontist, sent all the floss, brushes and paste. For another, local dentist, Dr. Neal, donated the same items. Costeaux French Bakery sends dog biscuits for the canines attached to the unit. Other bakeries have donated biscotti. Several local residents prepare homemade foods like granola and fudge. A class at St. John’s School created beautiful handmade cards and collected supplies to add to the care packages. A local veterinarian sends socks because he had wet feet when he served in Vietnam. Purls of Joy is the most recent business to join the efforts—they are going to knit caps to send over. “The American Legion Auxiliary is making neck “coolers,” said St. Clair, “for when the weather is over 100 degrees. Temperatures can reach 140 degrees. “And the American Legion has helped with shipping costs,” St. Clair continued to enumerate. “I just want to get things done,” says St. Clair who has worked with other local groups, such as the MOMS (Mothers of Military Service Members). But she admits to being a bit of a rebel who doesn’t care much for bureaucracy. “She has a lot of passion,” said Gail Wright, former principal of Geyserville Schools, now retired. “She doesn’t do bureaucracy.” Wright came in during the interview and brought bags of items to be included in the boxes. “The neighborhood comes together for shipping,” said St. Clair. She begins to enumerate more names of those who help. “McDonald’s donates coffee packets. Holiday treats come in from supporters in Windsor. “An elementary school in Windsor sends letters, local Vietnam veterans bring nuts and treats that they wish they had in Vietnam,” she continues.
Bless the socks and the bears:
“A priest at St. John's has blessed the socks,” St. Clair added. She laughs as she recounts the story, “I asked the receptionist if the Father would bless their socks. “She called out to him and he said, ‘Socks?’ The receptionist replied, ‘socks.’” The pastor agreed to bless the socks. He also blessed the bears. “People are going to think I’m crazy,” said St. Clair, “but I found a box of little bears at a yard sale. “There were a hundred of them,” she continued, “I bought the bears—they were cute. And I had them blessed."
The phone calls:
After the boxes are shipped, there are the "thank you" phone calls -- at all hours.
“Phone calls from Afghanistan come in the middle of the night—they are filled with appreciation,” said St. Clair. “[I get] comments ‘the boxes are always perfect, ma’am,’ and ‘we look forward to them, ma’am.’” St. Clair also extends boxes and will even mail them for other people who want to send to a service member. Individuals wanting to sponsor a box can pay just $35 to do so. “No one is refused a box,” said St. Clair. When holidays come around, the boxes are stuffed with treats representing the holiday—Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. But, St. Clair doesn’t stop with the boxes. She supports the USO at the airport for welcoming soldiers home and she helps Gold Star families. (A Gold Star family, according to their website, is “Any member of the immediate family of a person who died in a combat zone while a member of any branch of the armed forces.”
Inevitable loss:
When asked about losses, St. Clair turns serious. “We lost three,” she said simply of this last tour, as her eyes fill. “War is ugly. “But they are still our friends, sons, daughters, neighbors,” she goes on. “Doing a little makes a big difference.”
(*Author's note: Yes, the unit is all men—so maybe some other fairy godparent-in-waiting might want to find a way to send care packages to units that include women.)
Healdsburg Patch
Mary St. Clair is shining up her dancing slippers and ripping the plastic off her gown -- all because she's been invited to a ball next month. But the invitation is not based on St. Clair's dancing abilities or her new ball gown. It's because St. Clair, a longtime Healdsburg resident and mother of two grown children, has been sending "care" packages to an Army unit for the last seven years. “We’re sending a little piece of home,” St. Clair says in summing up her mission. Now, St. Clair's tide of good will is reflecting back: the "unit," the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division—the Raider Brigade, is inviting her to the ball.
The “unit,” as St. Clair calls it, is based at Fort Carson, Colorado. In June, St. Clair received one of those heart-thumping 5-in-the-morning calls. Fortunately it was good news. Sgt. Jimmy Barber was calling to tell she no longer needed to send the weekly boxes filled with goodies, because the “boys” were coming home. Then, on behalf of the unit, Sgt. Barber invited St. Clair to the military ball. The ball will be held in Colorado Springs in late August. Now, even with the "unit" back, and even as St. Clair excitedly prepares for the military ball, she still is filling boxes for their next tour. One of her clients at the beauty salon she operates has generously paid for her airline ticket and hotel. “I planned to give it up,” said St. Clair. “But when Sgt. Barber said, ‘I’ll get you the new address,’ I said I’d send a 100 personal boxes this time."
The beginning:
What started as a loving mother’s gift to her son, deployed in Iraq, turned into a seven-year commitment to her son’s unit. St. Clair started sending care boxes to her son, Dustin St. Clair, when he was stationed in Iraq in 2005. “Dustin’s unit had no access to a commissary or cafeteria,” St. Clair stated. “They were assigned to a mountainous region, where there were no resources.” Dustin, 28, left active duty in 2007, attended Colorado State University, Ft. Collins. He remains in the reserves. “I had turned my efforts to local soldiers,” said St. Clair, “Whose parents were friends or acquaintances.
“When Dustin found out,” continued St. Clair, “he asked me to continue to send to his unit.”
Partners in the effort:
The unit began a second tour, this time in Afghanistan and St. Clair swung into action. This time, St. Clair began to seek out partners in local businesses, schools, professional people, churches and other groups. She began by approaching the Geyserville Kiwanis. She asked if they would sponsor any boxes not sponsored by townsfolk. They responded by sponsoring them all. In addition to her hobby as a pilot, St. Clair is a stylist who operates her salon from her home. Each one of her clients donates what they can to her “donation jar,” a small, decorative container she keeps in her salon. Other clients bring bags full of goodies to fill the boxes. Every soldier in the unit receives a personal box sometime in the late fall, most often at Thanksgiving. Those boxes always include a few personal items, plus socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes and floss, small blankets, messages from home and other things the imaginative and caring St. Clair finds and purchases. Each Friday, St. Clair schleps two large flat-rate boxes down to the post office to send to the unit. “The 4th I.D. was called up for their third tour while serving in the inactive reserves,” said St. Clair, “Dustin’s old unit called and asked for more boxes." “The local Geyserville Chamber of Commerce was able to get all the boxes sponsored,” she continued. “About 50 boxes were sent for each tour.” “Harry [Bosworth] was instrumental and he and the Geyserville Kiwanis often take care of the money,” said St. Clair. Bosworth continues to support her efforts. “Fifty boxes was the initial effort,” she goes on. “After that the two boxes a week continued to be mailed out for a total of more than 100 boxes sent during their tour of duty. “Each box is the large-sized priority mail box, which costs $12.75 per box to mail,” said St. Clair.
Can't do it without the community:
On her wall, above a photo of her with an airplane, is the word "Inspire." She does just that when she talks about the project. She's gathered strong supporters from around both the Geyserville and Healdsburg communities. "This isn't about me," said St. Clair several times. "I'm not doing this alone and it's not for me." For one set of boxes, Dr. Bill Harris, a local orthodontist, sent all the floss, brushes and paste. For another, local dentist, Dr. Neal, donated the same items. Costeaux French Bakery sends dog biscuits for the canines attached to the unit. Other bakeries have donated biscotti. Several local residents prepare homemade foods like granola and fudge. A class at St. John’s School created beautiful handmade cards and collected supplies to add to the care packages. A local veterinarian sends socks because he had wet feet when he served in Vietnam. Purls of Joy is the most recent business to join the efforts—they are going to knit caps to send over. “The American Legion Auxiliary is making neck “coolers,” said St. Clair, “for when the weather is over 100 degrees. Temperatures can reach 140 degrees. “And the American Legion has helped with shipping costs,” St. Clair continued to enumerate. “I just want to get things done,” says St. Clair who has worked with other local groups, such as the MOMS (Mothers of Military Service Members). But she admits to being a bit of a rebel who doesn’t care much for bureaucracy. “She has a lot of passion,” said Gail Wright, former principal of Geyserville Schools, now retired. “She doesn’t do bureaucracy.” Wright came in during the interview and brought bags of items to be included in the boxes. “The neighborhood comes together for shipping,” said St. Clair. She begins to enumerate more names of those who help. “McDonald’s donates coffee packets. Holiday treats come in from supporters in Windsor. “An elementary school in Windsor sends letters, local Vietnam veterans bring nuts and treats that they wish they had in Vietnam,” she continues.
Bless the socks and the bears:
“A priest at St. John's has blessed the socks,” St. Clair added. She laughs as she recounts the story, “I asked the receptionist if the Father would bless their socks. “She called out to him and he said, ‘Socks?’ The receptionist replied, ‘socks.’” The pastor agreed to bless the socks. He also blessed the bears. “People are going to think I’m crazy,” said St. Clair, “but I found a box of little bears at a yard sale. “There were a hundred of them,” she continued, “I bought the bears—they were cute. And I had them blessed."
The phone calls:
After the boxes are shipped, there are the "thank you" phone calls -- at all hours.
“Phone calls from Afghanistan come in the middle of the night—they are filled with appreciation,” said St. Clair. “[I get] comments ‘the boxes are always perfect, ma’am,’ and ‘we look forward to them, ma’am.’” St. Clair also extends boxes and will even mail them for other people who want to send to a service member. Individuals wanting to sponsor a box can pay just $35 to do so. “No one is refused a box,” said St. Clair. When holidays come around, the boxes are stuffed with treats representing the holiday—Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. But, St. Clair doesn’t stop with the boxes. She supports the USO at the airport for welcoming soldiers home and she helps Gold Star families. (A Gold Star family, according to their website, is “Any member of the immediate family of a person who died in a combat zone while a member of any branch of the armed forces.”
Inevitable loss:
When asked about losses, St. Clair turns serious. “We lost three,” she said simply of this last tour, as her eyes fill. “War is ugly. “But they are still our friends, sons, daughters, neighbors,” she goes on. “Doing a little makes a big difference.”
(*Author's note: Yes, the unit is all men—so maybe some other fairy godparent-in-waiting might want to find a way to send care packages to units that include women.)
