I Have To Make Some Cookies

Last night I was listening to Pundit Review radio on WRKO when I hear myself getting called out. The host, my friend Kevin Whelan is talking about troop support and he mentions my blog. Thanks! And his producer, Rob jumped right on the cookie issue. I really have to get on this. They are such good eggs and every show is fun and gives a well deserved nod to our military. My friend Rob needs these cookies to give him strength for the hard work of keeping Kevin in line and playing cool bumper music.

So last night Kevin threw open the lines and asked people to call in an give a shout-out to troop supporters. I called in with this local story -

iPods for Veterans Continues Work Into New Year
Stepping off a 10 and-a-half-hour bus-ride from Washington, D.C. at 2:00 a.m. would make anyone more than exhausted; but five, very dedicated, men who help make up the iPods for Veterans group could not have been in higher spirits this last Tuesday.

"There's nothing like this," said U.S. Air Force veteran Paul Cardello, organizer of the trip and co-host of WCTV's Sports Forum. "There's nothing better than this."

Cardello and his co-host Wayne Fox, camera and sound guys Ron Buccheri and Don Leard, and Post Commander of the Billerica Veterans of Foreign Wars John Parker spent their entire Thanksgiving weekend in the nation's capital handing out iPod Shuffles and 300 magazines to wounded veterans – and they can't wait to do it again this Saturday.

This Saturday, the same group will be visiting Bedford VA Medical Center to hand out the remaining 23 of 82 iPod Shuffles they bought with donated funds.

A number of businesses and people in Wilmington helped to make this second trip down to Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., possible. Sunrise Market sold patriotic cookies and matched the $50 raised for a grand total of $100 for the cause. Rocco's Restaurant also helped raise funds for the group by matching the money in the donation jar at their bar for a total donated amount of $150. But the two big players in this donation-drive were Textron Systems that donated $1000 and Mary Lou and Dick Looney, who gave $1500 of their own money.

Paul Cardello lives in Wilmington, Massachusetts and is a great example of local troop support.

H/T to my cousin Gregg who told me about this great story. He knew all the details, Paul Cardello is his father-in-law!