The 5th Annual Iona College Care Package Drive
Certa bonum certamen. From Latin that translates to, fight the good fight. That phrase is the motto of Iona College. Iona is a small and tranquil campus located in New Rochelle, New York. As a proud graduate of Iona, I was overjoyed to hear about a student initiative to collect care packages for our troops serving overseas. During the week of April 18, 2017, The 5th Annual Iona College Care Package Drive was underway. Students were encouraged to donate items that ranged from batteries and stationary, to chewing gum and candy. Throughout the week, Iona Student Government Association President Kayla Kosack posted frequent updates on a Facebook page that was created for the event. One of the posts featured a quote from a former member of the United States Marine Corps named Adam Freidman. Freidman was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. When drawing upon that experience, he said, “The care packages we received from organizations like you truly helped. We were able to complete our missions because we knew and felt the support from our loved ones and supporters back home. A fresh pair of socks, some gummy bears, and a few crackers could brighten our days more than you could imagine.”
Our This Is Why We Stand care package for the event.
As Americans, there is nothing more important than constantly reminding our service members of our respect and admiration for their sacrifices to our nation. David McCullough is one of the most famous historians in the United States. In one of his speeches at Union College in 1994, McCullough said, “In what we do, in what we say, what we stand for, we must feel, as did the founders of the nation, as did the founders of this college, that it is the example of America that matters.” Our founding fathers set that example. They taught us to cherish our freedom, to never back down against any challenge, and to always understand the importance of service. None embody these definable American characteristics better than those who serve our country. Any action that we pursue in support of our troops is a worthwhile endeavor. Duty goes both ways.
One can't help but to think that the founders of Iona, along with the founders of this country, are smiling down on us as they see students coming together to express their gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Failing to recognize that would be wrong. As we have the honor to call ourselves Americans, we must never stop fighting the good fight.
