Summit Supports Our Troops’ volunteers gather
resources for the Troops and educate the community about the lifestyle,
demands, rewards, and needs of members of the military and their
families. Through attending community events and a robust collection
of programs, Summit Supports Our Troops has become embedded in
the fabric of the City of Summit.
The organization is invited to attend community
events, to provide
programs to schools, and to assist local groups and individuals
in their goals of providing good will and items to the Troops.
Equally significant is the organization’s visits to military
installations-bases, ships and the Pentagon, to bring words of
gratitude to the Troops and to learn about the situations of particular
Troops and units.
Summit Supports Our Troops Model
1. Find the Troops “of Summit”.
Get their names and contact information to start.
2. Contact them and/or their families and say, “Thank you
for your service.”
3. Ask them what they need or want that would encourage them in
their work.
4. Engage the entire community in recognizing and serving the Troops,
their families, and their units.
WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED, as of December 2008
For the Troops
Located 69 troops of Summit, determined their needs, and maintained
contact with them
Through regular participation in local events, provided support
for Summit Troops, their families and units in all branches of
the military
Sent gifts to over 6200 Troops, lessening the strain of deployments
in difficult situations and climates. Examples are toiletries,
e.g. hair and dental products; snacks, e.g. popcorn, Girl Scout
cookies, Boy Scout popcorn, Christmas cookies; and entertainment,
e.g. Sports equipment, DVDs
Met particular family needs-children’s beds, clothing
and school supplies, provided travel for special needs
Provided resources for welcome home ceremonies and base/ship
family days
Conducted school programs in each Summit school that connect
students with soldiers and provided men and women in uniform
for the students to meet
Maintained regular contact with spouses and families and provide
them opportunities for support
For the growth of services and the organization
Relationships with members of all 5 branches of the military
Regular visits to military locations
Participation in the Inter Service Family Assistance Committee,
regional gatherings of groups from national, state, community
and not-for-profit organizations serving the military
Membership in the American Psychological Association, Division
for Military Psychology
Leadership activity-Center for Deployment Psychology, National
Behavioral Science
*A Troop is
a single individual serving in any branch of the military.
* “Of
Summit" is a term which describes those who
are available to receive benefits from SSOT. Troops “of
Summit” are those people who have some association
to the City of Summit. They include people who have grown
up here and/or live here now, whose immediate family lives
here, or who have been presented to us by a resident of Summit
as someone who is important to that resident, i.e. friend,
family member, etc.
*Community Events regularly attended by
SSOT include: Martin Luther King Day of Service, Memorial Day
Observance,
4th of July Celebration,
Summit Antique and Classic Car Show, Summit Farmer’s Market
(May thru December), Summit Craft Fairs, etc.
*SSOT leader has visited among other sites Ft. Benning, McGuire
Air Force Base, Pentagon, Camp Pendleton, Fort Bellvoir, Fort Mead,
United States Aviation Station-Miramar, Walter Reed Medical Center,
Bethesda Naval Hospital, Cannon Office Building Washington, DC.
