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EAST WINDSOR: Group honors troops with care packages

By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
   EAST WINDSOR — A township foundation has sent golf clubs, music and movies to men and women serving in Afghanistan.
   On Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, the foundation mailed collectively eight boxes filled with approximately 400 DVDs and CDs en route to two sites in Afghanistan, Camp Mike Spann and the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/NATO Air Training Command.
   Although the foundation has sent packages with phone cards to troops overseas for more than a decade, the February mailings were the result of its first-ever music and movie drive.
   "The community has been great about the donations,” said Judy Shane, who founded the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation in 2000.
   Normally, the foundation purchases all the items within its monthly care packages to the troops, sent by mail. Yet, all items mailed in February were the result of donations from the community.
   For instance, the organization received CDs and DVDs from the Twin Rivers Library, in East Windsor.
   Area Girl Scouts not only donated movies and music — they also prepared artfully decorated gift bags.
   As a result, the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation mailed 88 Valentine’s Day bags prepared by more than 30 Girl Scouts, of Cranbury Township, on Feb. 2.
   The girls, from Troop 71487 and Troop 71529, worked on the bags at the end of January.
   Designed with Valentine’s décor, the bags were filled with candy and included handwritten notes by the scouts.
   "The leaders of the troops just thought it would be nice to do a community service project,” said Kathleen Argiriou, of Cranbury. “We wanted our girls to kind of give back to the community.”
   "We just received the three boxes of movies and Valentine’s Day gifts,” said Staff Sergeant Jeremy Hightower in a Feb. 11 e-mail to Ms. Shane. “Thanks for these and we will put the movies to good use.”
   Ms. Shane said the music and movie drive is ongoing. Community members can donate unused or new DVDs or CDs at Triangle Copy Center, 222 Dutchneck Rd., in East Windsor.
   "If we could get (another business location), that would be great, just so we could get more spots,” Ms. Shane said.
   Michael Cocciolillo, who purchased Triangle Copy Center, of East Windsor, along with his wife in 1997, has supported the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation since its inception.
   In addition to now being an official hub for CD and DVD drop offs, the business has a long track record of printing flyers, invitations and announcements for the foundation free of charge.
   Further, the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation donated approximately 200 golf clubs to McGuire Air Force Base on Feb. 1.
   A half dozen soldiers helped Judy Shane, of East Windsor, unload the golf equipment. The February donation included numerous golf balls and bags.
   Although these clubs will stay at the New Jersey base, previous golf donations have been sent overseas.
   To date, the foundation has donated more than 1,200 golf clubs for military men and women.
   Last winter, the foundation purchased a round-trip plane ticket to bring a soldier home for a family visit prior to deployment.
   Ms. Shane began sending phone cards to troops in Afghanistan in 2001.
   She said she was inspired to do so after she heard on the radio a grieving mother expressing gratitude that her son had been able to call home using a donated phone card just days before his death.
   Ms. Shane formed the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation in honor of her own fallen son, Joshua, whom family members have described as an extremely caring person dedicated to helping others.
   In December, the foundation sent more a half a dozen boxes to the troops for Christmas, which included $550 worth of phone cards.
   Now, the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation is preparing for its first ever springtime party, the St. Patrick’s Day Bash, on March 17 at the Mercer Oaks Golf Course in West Windsor.  The fundraising event begins at 7 p.m.
   And although the price is $75 per person, the foundation has reached out to several Afghanistan veterans, who are still active members of the military, with St. Patrick’s Day Bash tickets — free of charge.
   "We’re inviting them as our guests,” Ms. Shane said.