FRG leaders or those who have planned a homecoming - Military Activism & Advocacy

fitmommyof4 · 05-19-2009, 08:39 AM

So we had our first meeting the other day. I am the contact person for my dhs platoon and we had a meeting to get our lists together of who we are to contact. We discussed our homecoming and what we could do for the guys. We came up with maybe doing pizza and subs and drinks at the gym when they first get in and maybe decorating the barraks for the single guys/girls Getting some items together like towels/toiletries/snacks/drinks to have in their rooms when they get in.

Im looking for ideas on how to get these items for free/cheap. Has anyone ever done this and if so who did you contact? Did you do fundraisers? We also want to get a sign for each of them to hang up.

So give me you great ideas. There are about 140 guys.

Kris · 05-19-2009, 08:41 AM

Have you contacted any of the stores around your area? I know that some places will donate things (Wal-mart, Pizza Hut, ect.) you can offer to get the news involved to get them some advertising. Or something like that.

flangl18 · 05-19-2009, 09:01 AM

Check your FRG rules first though regarding soliciting donations. You can probably contact your base legal office or just do a websearch for a military instruction regarding FRGs. Also check your MWR/Liberty Center to see if they have any help available. What you want to do sounds like what we do for homecoming as well - single sailor bags, food at the hangar, etc. We do fundraisers for the single sailor bags and the food and so forth is all donated by MWR.

ImNoOliveOyl · 05-19-2009, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Kris

Have you contacted any of the stores around your area? I know that some places will donate things (Wal-mart, Pizza Hut, ect.) you can offer to get the news involved to get them some advertising. Or something like that.

this.. just be sure to consult legal first.. it can be against regs. to accept donations.

If all the members donated say $20, you could get some travel size toiletries for the single guys (at least some shaving cream and soap..) depending on how many people are active in your FRG and how many people are with your husband's group.

I think having something catered in would be nice, but a lot of the guys just want to go home with their families.. (DH's CO wanted us to plan out a picnic when they returned from a 6 week cruise.. that didn't go over well, and ended up not happening because nobody wanted to have to stick around when they could be home.) With pizza and subs, you'll often get a really good discount on BIG orders.

Check with your local USO, sometimes they'll help provide things as well...

CptWife316 · 05-19-2009, 04:15 PM

You can not go and ask companies for donations. That is against the rules. There are ways around it and I know that. Let me ask my FRG advisor this Friday how you can go about it.

What about having kids make home made welcome signs. General one's!

Pickels · 05-21-2009, 09:43 PM

oy you are going to open a can of worms if you go "door to door" asking.

I was the homecoming chair for our command last deployment... a some 950 guys/girls.

you can not say certain things specificly the command name or that you are with the FRG (that is a big no no) and asking for donations.

you can go out on your OWN though. That was a big thing I stressed to our FRG.

you can say something like. My name is so and so and I am collecting donations to give out to returning sailors/soldiers/marines/pilots. My husband is currently serving overseas right now and expected back shortly. I know there are many men and women that he is serving with that are coming back to empty rooms. I am just wanting to try and let them know that there are people out there that care and support them.

(notice the no command name given, no FRG mentioned.. it makes it sound like this is a you and only you thing)

i can tell you walmart here gave us a $1000.00 shopping trip to buy things that we thought were needed. we also got cupons from chic-fa-le' (spelling), and casino's gave decks of cards and dice.

the uso does cookies and punch along with fruit.

you can get the patriot riders in your area to escort them to the base if they are driving from an air field

the uso also has children's color books that they can give out along with crayons for keeping kids busy.

i would sugest setting up a movie you can see your command for this one, get one of the homeport (or whatever you call the guy's who stay back) guy's to set up a projector in the corner and flash either a slide show of pictures from the deployment/homeport functions.

we had signs.... 246 of them 2x2 boards... we sold personal ones to put up in front of the new command building (we rotate buildings each deployment) they were $1.00 each.. and the family or friend would design and paint them. (no nudity, no racial slurs, no bad words, no enuandeos) you can get lowes to cut the boards down from 8x4 to the 2x2 for you.. and they price match local stores in the area... and if you tell them what it is for, they may even knock some more off for ya. i have pictures of the signs we did if you want some ideas (to many to post)

fitmommyof4 · 05-22-2009, 08:24 PM

Pickles~I'd love to see a few signs. You had great ideas.

Pickels · 06-01-2009, 01:08 PM

here are all of the DET sites that we were at.... we decided instead of listing them we would give each one their own sign.

personal signs

command signs
the first one of this threesome.. read no more APO'S

first one of this one read
we can't wait to

than had all of the kids handprints on a board.

we had 4 with the commands mantra on it
a. One Team
b. One Family
c. One Command
d. Period
all done in the mardi gras theme that we had for last homecoming.

painting fun

on top of the ones pictured above... we had crawling babies painted race/sex with the last name of the baby and the date he/she was born durring the deployment... we also had baby blocks 2x2 painted with NMCB 74 BABIES
(these were only for babies born during the deployment... and were free of charge.. we had 22)

we also had a big street sign (like what you would see at like Disney).. point in the direction of each det site with the name of the site and how many miles it was to that camp. all done in mardi gras colors.

and then a whole hell of alot more that i can't find pictures of, and the command has my notebook as they all had to be approved by the CO of the base.

*ashley* · 06-01-2009, 01:40 PM

nice pics!

Brea · 06-01-2009, 01:43 PM

The USO will usually help a lot.

05-19-2009, 08:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
fitmommyof4 Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Polk, LA/Iraq Posts: 1,974 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 67% Longevity: 25%	FRG leaders or those who have planned a homecoming So we had our first meeting the other day. I am the contact person for my dhs platoon and we had a meeting to get our lists together of who we are to contact. We discussed our homecoming and what we could do for the guys. We came up with maybe doing pizza and subs and drinks at the gym when they first get in and maybe decorating the barraks for the single guys/girls Getting some items together like towels/toiletries/snacks/drinks to have in their rooms when they get in. Im looking for ideas on how to get these items for free/cheap. Has anyone ever done this and if so who did you contact? Did you do fundraisers? We also want to get a sign for each of them to hang up. So give me you great ideas. There are about 140 guys. __________________ Trish

05-19-2009, 08:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
Kris Finding strength one day at a time Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Suffolk, Virginia Posts: 16,526 Classifieds: (2) Activity: 63% Longevity: 55%	Have you contacted any of the stores around your area? I know that some places will donate things (Wal-mart, Pizza Hut, ect.) you can offer to get the news involved to get them some advertising. Or something like that. __________________ Yes I know I am smoking hot

05-19-2009, 09:01 AM	#3 (permalink)
flangl18 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: NAS Lemoore Posts: 3,991 Blog Entries: 2 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 18% Longevity: 40%	Check your FRG rules first though regarding soliciting donations. You can probably contact your base legal office or just do a websearch for a military instruction regarding FRGs. Also check your MWR/Liberty Center to see if they have any help available. What you want to do sounds like what we do for homecoming as well - single sailor bags, food at the hangar, etc. We do fundraisers for the single sailor bags and the food and so forth is all donated by MWR. __________________ “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” John Wesley

05-19-2009, 04:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
CptWife316 Proud Army Wife in South Korea Join Date: May 2009 Location: Osan AB, South Korea Posts: 926 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 18% Longevity: 8%	You can not go and ask companies for donations. That is against the rules. There are ways around it and I know that. Let me ask my FRG advisor this Friday how you can go about it. What about having kids make home made welcome signs. General one's! __________________

05-21-2009, 09:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
Pickels deployment hell Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gulfport, MS Posts: 2,840 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 40% Longevity: 29%	oy you are going to open a can of worms if you go "door to door" asking. I was the homecoming chair for our command last deployment... a some 950 guys/girls. you can not say certain things specificly the command name or that you are with the FRG (that is a big no no) and asking for donations. you can go out on your OWN though. That was a big thing I stressed to our FRG. you can say something like. My name is so and so and I am collecting donations to give out to returning sailors/soldiers/marines/pilots. My husband is currently serving overseas right now and expected back shortly. I know there are many men and women that he is serving with that are coming back to empty rooms. I am just wanting to try and let them know that there are people out there that care and support them. (notice the no command name given, no FRG mentioned.. it makes it sound like this is a you and only you thing) i can tell you walmart here gave us a $1000.00 shopping trip to buy things that we thought were needed. we also got cupons from chic-fa-le' (spelling), and casino's gave decks of cards and dice. the uso does cookies and punch along with fruit. you can get the patriot riders in your area to escort them to the base if they are driving from an air field the uso also has children's color books that they can give out along with crayons for keeping kids busy. i would sugest setting up a movie you can see your command for this one, get one of the homeport (or whatever you call the guy's who stay back) guy's to set up a projector in the corner and flash either a slide show of pictures from the deployment/homeport functions. we had signs.... 246 of them 2x2 boards... we sold personal ones to put up in front of the new command building (we rotate buildings each deployment) they were $1.00 each.. and the family or friend would design and paint them. (no nudity, no racial slurs, no bad words, no enuandeos) you can get lowes to cut the boards down from 8x4 to the 2x2 for you.. and they price match local stores in the area... and if you tell them what it is for, they may even knock some more off for ya. i have pictures of the signs we did if you want some ideas (to many to post) __________________

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05-22-2009, 08:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
fitmommyof4 Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Polk, LA/Iraq Posts: 1,974 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 67% Longevity: 25%	Pickles~I'd love to see a few signs. You had great ideas. __________________ Trish

06-01-2009, 01:08 PM	#8 (permalink)
Pickels deployment hell Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gulfport, MS Posts: 2,840 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 40% Longevity: 29%	here are all of the DET sites that we were at.... we decided instead of listing them we would give each one their own sign. personal signs command signs the first one of this threesome.. read no more APO'S first one of this one read we can't wait to than had all of the kids handprints on a board. we had 4 with the commands mantra on it a. One Team b. One Family c. One Command d. Period all done in the mardi gras theme that we had for last homecoming. painting fun on top of the ones pictured above... we had crawling babies painted race/sex with the last name of the baby and the date he/she was born durring the deployment... we also had baby blocks 2x2 painted with NMCB 74 BABIES (these were only for babies born during the deployment... and were free of charge.. we had 22) we also had a big street sign (like what you would see at like Disney).. point in the direction of each det site with the name of the site and how many miles it was to that camp. all done in mardi gras colors. and then a whole hell of alot more that i can't find pictures of, and the command has my notebook as they all had to be approved by the CO of the base. __________________

06-01-2009, 01:40 PM	#9 (permalink)
ashley hello, governor! Join Date: May 2009 Location: me: bowling green, ky; my heart: iraq Posts: 1,432 Classifieds: (1) Activity: 45% Longevity: 9%	nice pics! __________________ my wifeys: rei, kaylah, his_girl, redhead_navygf, lildixiemiss, blinkybear, sapphiremommy and lovemyjarhead

06-01-2009, 01:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
Brea I Love My Puppy Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 694 Classifieds: (0) Activity: 0% Longevity: 9%	The USO will usually help a lot. __________________ ~ Brea~