Special deliveries made to special groups

This involves my home state, Texas, kids and is just a nice story. From CentCom:

Mosul Iraq - After years of tyranny and war, the children of Iraq have almost nothing and are very grateful for each gift they receive. Lana Aziz, an Iraqi citizen and junior engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), coordinates the collection and distribution of shoes and school supplies for Iraqi children. With each gift she gives to a needy child, she also gives joy and hope to their lives.

Through her childhood, Aziz watched as American organizations sent clothing and items to local churches in her community. She watched as the goods were distributed and noticed some didn’t make it to the families that needed it the most. Dismayed at the lack of support for American generosity and the misdirection of goods, Aziz decided if she could, she would do something about it.

While on assignment in the local villages, she noticed the children lacked proper shoes for the cold environment. This gave her the idea to collect shoes for the needy and make sure they were distributed to those who truly needed them.

In July 2005, Aziz put the word out through co-workers, friends and family that she was collecting shoes. Word spread quickly and before she knew it, shoes came rolling in. Church groups from the States, Aziz’s family, and friends of friends rose to the challenge and collected approximately 150 pairs of shoes, which Aziz distributed in Dohuk, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah. The collection effort was a huge success and well received by those in need.

Now, almost seven months later, packages again began arriving addressed to Aziz. She opened the boxes and was happily surprised to find not only shoes for the children, but school supplies and toys, as well. Aziz’s response to the unexpected generosity was, “If they send it, I will deliver it!”

Word travels fast when there is good news to spread and the story of Aziz delivering goods to schools last year made it all the way to Texas and Utah. Donations came not only from Aziz’s family members, but also from friends’ families, friends of friends, churches, schools and large corporations. Contributors included Southwest Airlines' Maintenance and Engineering Department in Dallas, Texas; Hewlett Packard in Richardson, Texas; and the second grade class from the William Penn Elementary School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aziz received toys, school supplies, candy and shoes.

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