Donation from the Women of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Abdingdon, MD

A big Thank you to the Women of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Abdingdon, Maryland, for their generous donation of $75.00 to Eric's Goal! This donation will cover the cost of postage for our next shipment to Iraq, Afghanistan or Africa. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and are used to cover shipping and operating expenses only.

We truly appreciate your selection of Eric's Goal to receive your contribution. Thank you!

Eric's Goal Staff

Andrew DeLaere's 8th Birthday Party Collection!

Happy 8th Birthday Andrew DeLaere! Thank you Andrew for sharing your birthday with other children. It was very generous of you to ask for gifts for others on your big day! The items you collected will be sent to children in either Iraq, Afghanistan or Africa. Where ever your presents are sent, there will be many happy kids to receive them!

Andrew's father is in the Navy and was recently deployed, so Andrew and his family know all about the sacrifices that military familys make on a daily basis. We would like to thank you and your family for all you do for our country Andrew! Many thanks to you and your Mom for delivering the items to us over the weekend.

Here is a list of Andrew's donations:

30 Balls, (26 new & 4 used)
6 Pairs of Shin guards (3 new & 3 used)
4 Pairs of Cleats (1 new & 3 used)
2 Pair Soccer Socks (new)
2 Soccer Ball Pumps (new)
2 sets Soccer Cones (new)
Inflating Needles (new)

Preston Durkee of Livonia, N.Y.

Our thanks to Mr. Preston Durkee who donated $100.00 to Eric's Goal in January of 2010. His donation helped cover the cost of postage to send the last couple of collections to Iraq. Mr. Durkee is an 87 year old Veteran who served in the Air Force as a Radio Man in China!

Thank you Mr. Durkee for your service to our Nation and thank you for donating to our cause and in turn helping the children of Iraq!

Colby and William Snyder from Maryland collect for Eric' Goal!

Thank you to Colby and William Snyder from Maryland, who collected new and used soccer balls and equipment for the Iraqi children! Your donations were also sent to Airman Mike Songer and were given to Iraqi children in orphanages. They too will be playing with your donations by now! Here is a list of your donated items:

Soccer Balls: 12
Pump: 1
Cleats: 10 Pr.
Shin Guards: 1 Pr.
Pennies: 5
Pants: 2
Socks: 10
Jerseys: 61
T-shirts: 53
Hats: 7
Shorts: 5
Jackets: 9

Tricia Davis' Cub Scout Den, Millersville, MD collects for ERIC's GOAL!

Mrs. Tricia Davis' Millersville Cub Scout Den collected soccer balls and items for Iraqi children earlier this year. Their donations along with another, were sent to Airman Mike Songer who recently helped to distribute them to children in orphanages in Iraq. Mike is working on getting copies of the photos taken during the delivery and we will post them when received!

Thank you to Tricia Davis and her Cub Scout Den! There should be many excited Iraqi children playing with you donated goods at this very moment!

Below is a list of the items collected:

Soccer Balls: 36

Pairs of Socks: 89

Net Bag: 1

Cleats: 27

Shin Guards: 16

Goalie Gloves: 1

Jerseys: 58

Pennies: 5

Pair of Shorts: 25

T-shirts: 11

Donations from Ashley & Sarah in Pennsylvania!!

A big "Thank You" to Ashley & Sarah for collecting donations for Eric's Goal! They worked at their collection for months and we were finally able to meet Ashley's Dad to pick up their generous donations! They did a great job of deflating the balls and packing them in boxes that are easy to ship. The following items were collected by these young ladies and will be enjoyed by children in Africa and/or Iraq.

Soccer Balls: 58
Socks: 29
Shin guards: 19
Cleats: 46
T-Shirts: 11
Jerseys: 56
Pennies: 32
Cones: 36
Shorts: 45
Sweat Pants: 4
Pug Goals: 2
Ball Bags: 1
Monetary donations: $150.00

We will be completing the custom forms and sending your donations out within the next several weeks. Thank you again to Ashley & Sarah, for a job well done!

(updated 12-08-09 from re-count)

Thank you letter from Iraq!

We recently received this lovely e-mail from one of the Chaplains in Iraq who we sent soccer balls and equipment to.

Dear Eric's Goal:

Please accept my attached "Thank you Letter" for both, your prayers and the care packages that you provided to our Soldiers in the past year. I want to take this moment before leaving this country after a 12 month deployment from Iraq to thank you for your love, prayers, and the time and effort that you put into sending items for our Soldiers. As we continue our mission in Iraq it is a blessing to receive support from home. We are able to take the items that you sent along with other boxes and distribute them to service members in our unit. Although you may receive no contact from individual Soldiers, please know that each of your care packages were appreciated and that we thank you for thinking of us during this time. Thank you for your powerful prayers for our Soldiers and all the support you have provided.

May God bless you.

CH (CPT) SANG H. KIM
1-77th Field Artillery Battalion "Falcons First"