By LAUREN MYLO
Hour Staff Writer
Hoping to have more services in place to assist veterans returning from overseas and entering college in the next few years, Norwalk Community College is hosting a Military Veterans Club.
Approved last semester, the organization was started by club president Sgt. Gero Caponera, USAR, and NCC counselor Charles Kruzshak, club advisor. Kruzshak said he participates in a veteran advisory committee on campus with approximately 10 other staff members and professors, and last year someone suggested a club.
"They asked that I take over as adviser for the club because I had a lot of close contact with many students who are veterans," he said. "The college wants to have services in place to help them. Veterans might face some challenges when they retransition back into civilian life and especially when they transition into college."
One club member served in the Vietnam War until the Gulf War, but most of the approximately 10 club members are recent veterans within the last 10 years. Kruzshak said non-veteran students have expressed interest as well.
Kruzshak, who served in the Army Reserves from 1980 to 1988, said the club's mission is to provide educational guidance and support, a place for discussion and a way to participate in school and military activities.
The club's activities will be determined by the students, he said, but its first order of business is to host a food, snacks, drink mix and toiletries care package drive.
"Both times I was in Iraq ... I got a ton of packages from students at my high school --socks, beef jerky, razors, that kind of stuff," said club member Orlando Figueroa. "It felt so good to be able to open a box and know that people didn't forget about me. I was in Iraq during Christmas and New Year's, so getting boxes from back home meant a lot since I wasn't able to be home with my family for the holidays."
Several local groups have already donated to the drive, including the 44th Fenwick Assembly of the Knights of Columbus of Norwalk, who presented a $520 check on Veteran's Day for the purchase of phone cards.
The drive will continue until Dec. 10, and one of the units receiving the items will be the 102nd Infantry out of Connecticut, which has 80 men from Fairfield County who will be deploying.
To make contributions or obtain a complete list of accepted items, contact Kruzshak at (203) 857-7015 or ckruzshak@ ncc.commnet.edu. There are also collection points on campus.
Please Also See:
NCC Veterans Club to send care packages to troops overseas
Connecticut Plus
From November 10 to December 10, the Military Veterans’ Club at Norwalk Community College will collect donations of food, snacks, drink mixes and toiletries for care packages to send to troops overseas. The American Legion Post 3 of Stamford has donated items to the drive.
The Club will collect donated items from students and the community at collection points in the lobbies of the East and West campus buildings.
The mission of the NCC Military Veterans Club is to provide a venue for members to discuss and participate in school and military-related activities. The club provides educational guidance and support for military veterans, reservists and guard members and assists with adjustment to college life.
This care package project provides an opportunity for club members to extend their network of contacts and services within the local community and provide an essential service to our troops. Types of items acceptable for donation follow.
Food, snacks and drinks:
• Beef jerky / slim jims
• Coffee (ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground preferred)
• Powder drink mix (Gatorade, Kool-aid, Crystal Light)
• Tuna and chicken salad (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
• Protein powder and protein bars
• Hot chocolate packets, herbal teas
• Hard pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz
• Gum / hard candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags)
• Granola bars / power bars / cereal bars / Cliff bars
• Fig Newtons, Oreos, cheese and crackers - small packs
• Trail mix, dried fruit, granola, fruit roll-ups / fruit by the foot / fruit gummies
• Dry soup: (ramen noodles / cup-o-soup
• Nuts: peanuts, mixed nuts (salted preferred)
• Microwaveable food (popcorn, Chef-boy-r-dee, mac'n'cheese...)
• Cookies / Girl Scout cookies
• Rice Krispie treats (packaged, store-bought only)
• Little Debbies® and Hostess® cake products
• Oatmeal packs (instant only))
• Cereal (small, individual boxes)
• Condiments, spices; sugar; salad dressing (no glass jars)
• Caffeinated gum or candy (to stay alert)
• Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
Toiletries: (Please, no hotel samples)
Note: some troops have allergies and need brand name toiletries which list all ingredients. The military issues toiletries to our troops, however troops often miss their favorite brand of shampoo or soap. Our goal is to send troops reminders of home and items they miss ... Not free samples.
• Baby wipes (travel size)
• Hand sanitizer (travel size)
• Body wash, liquid soap, facial cleanser
• Shampoo /conditioner (travel size)
• Hair gel (for female troops to pull hair back)
• Combs / brushes / bobby pins (in original packaging, please)
• Deodorant (travel size)
• Razors (disposable or "Intuition" or "Mach 3" types)
• Shaving cream in tubes / shaving soap (no cans of shaving cream, please!)
• Lip balm / chap stick / carmex / blistex
• Baby powder and foot powder (travel size)
• Tissues (individual packs; travel size only)
Sgt Gero Caponera, USAR, is founder and President of the NCC Military Veterans’ Club. “As a veteran that has received care packages while deployed to Iraq, I can say that it is a great feeling, especially when you are not expecting them,” he says. “Soldiers that are in remote areas will be very grateful for receiving items they do not have access to.”.....
Connecticut Plus
From November 10 to December 10, the Military Veterans’ Club at Norwalk Community College will collect donations of food, snacks, drink mixes and toiletries for care packages to send to troops overseas. The American Legion Post 3 of Stamford has donated items to the drive.
The Club will collect donated items from students and the community at collection points in the lobbies of the East and West campus buildings.
The mission of the NCC Military Veterans Club is to provide a venue for members to discuss and participate in school and military-related activities. The club provides educational guidance and support for military veterans, reservists and guard members and assists with adjustment to college life.
This care package project provides an opportunity for club members to extend their network of contacts and services within the local community and provide an essential service to our troops. Types of items acceptable for donation follow.
Food, snacks and drinks:
• Beef jerky / slim jims
• Coffee (ground or whole; instant or drip. Ground preferred)
• Powder drink mix (Gatorade, Kool-aid, Crystal Light)
• Tuna and chicken salad (in foil pouches, or ready-to-eat kits (no cans)
• Protein powder and protein bars
• Hot chocolate packets, herbal teas
• Hard pretzels / Cheetos / Fritos / Chex Mix / Wheat Thins / Ritz
• Gum / hard candy (must be individually wrapped in large bags)
• Granola bars / power bars / cereal bars / Cliff bars
• Fig Newtons, Oreos, cheese and crackers - small packs
• Trail mix, dried fruit, granola, fruit roll-ups / fruit by the foot / fruit gummies
• Dry soup: (ramen noodles / cup-o-soup
• Nuts: peanuts, mixed nuts (salted preferred)
• Microwaveable food (popcorn, Chef-boy-r-dee, mac'n'cheese...)
• Cookies / Girl Scout cookies
• Rice Krispie treats (packaged, store-bought only)
• Little Debbies® and Hostess® cake products
• Oatmeal packs (instant only))
• Cereal (small, individual boxes)
• Condiments, spices; sugar; salad dressing (no glass jars)
• Caffeinated gum or candy (to stay alert)
• Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
Toiletries: (Please, no hotel samples)
Note: some troops have allergies and need brand name toiletries which list all ingredients. The military issues toiletries to our troops, however troops often miss their favorite brand of shampoo or soap. Our goal is to send troops reminders of home and items they miss ... Not free samples.
• Baby wipes (travel size)
• Hand sanitizer (travel size)
• Body wash, liquid soap, facial cleanser
• Shampoo /conditioner (travel size)
• Hair gel (for female troops to pull hair back)
• Combs / brushes / bobby pins (in original packaging, please)
• Deodorant (travel size)
• Razors (disposable or "Intuition" or "Mach 3" types)
• Shaving cream in tubes / shaving soap (no cans of shaving cream, please!)
• Lip balm / chap stick / carmex / blistex
• Baby powder and foot powder (travel size)
• Tissues (individual packs; travel size only)
Sgt Gero Caponera, USAR, is founder and President of the NCC Military Veterans’ Club. “As a veteran that has received care packages while deployed to Iraq, I can say that it is a great feeling, especially when you are not expecting them,” he says. “Soldiers that are in remote areas will be very grateful for receiving items they do not have access to.”.....
.....Major Cortland Mehl, USA Retired, said, “During my overseas duty I experienced America’s heart and soul through an outpouring of love form America that is hard to describe unless experienced. The tons of care packages, the Chaplains dropping off bags of mail every day, and the thrill of being adopted by a school or organization that took pride in both its country and the service member. I recall receiving mail from my old junior high, as well as receiving mail from an elementary school. I made a point to visit each school upon my return and answer each letter when able…receiving packages of various sundries made it feel like Christmas in a huge hot sandbox.”
Anyone desiring to make contributions for the care packages may contact Charles Kruzshak, the NCC Military Veterans Club Advisor, at (203) 857-7015 or ckruzshak@ncc.commnet.edu.
And:
Clubs at local colleges help veterans make transition to classroom [The ...
Behavioral Health Central (blog) - Nov 11, 2009
Behavioral Health Central (blog) - Nov 11, 2009
Going back to class after more than four years was the biggest concern for Gero Caponera, president of NCC's club. Caponera said he deliberately choose the community college after returning from service in the U.S. Army, which included a deployment to Iraq in 2005, because he knew he would receive more attention than a larger school offered.
"It really didn't bother me that I was older than the other students because I was so busy with school work and working," he said.
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