In Remember Everyone Deployed (RED), our priority is to show our appreciation for those that currently serve or have served our country, along with their families. In Potsdam, everyone is related to or knows servicemen and women, including members of the Space Force. This adds a personal connection to why we do what we do. RED is motivated to model how our service members can be appreciated.
The Positivity Project Club at Potsdam High School created a project called Remember Everyone Deployed (RED). The priority is to show our appreciation for those that currently serve or have served our country, along with their families. In Potsdam, everyone is related to or knows servicemen and women, including members of the Space Force. This adds a personal connection to why we do what we do. RED is motivated to model how our service members can be appreciated.
Our biggest project is our candy bar drive that we host throughout the year. As our service members are deployed, their biggest craving is American candy. Two years ago, RED collected over 15,000 candy bars for the service members overseas, and this year we reached our benchmark of 20,000. To meet our goal, we placed boxes throughout local stores to receive donations from local folks. We are gaining support through our high school students in a candy bar collection competition. The grade who can donate the most candy bars will receive a prize supporting their class trip, courtesy of P2.
Another project that we are working on is the “bye-bye bears”. This project was brought to us this year, and we thought it would have a positive impact. RED is collaborating with the seventh-graders in their Home and Careers class to help create handmade stuffed bears. These bears will serve as a remembrance token to the children whose parents are or will be deployed. Not only are the younger students chiming in, but our RED members are creating these as well. Since this project is new, we have a goal of fifty bears. That does not seem like a big number-that is fifty more lives that we will be positively impacting.
Not only is our group focused on hitting our sweet treat benchmark and creating stuffed animals for the little ones, but also being educated on patriotism. RED held a veteran’s breakfast on December 1, 2021 at Potsdam High School. At that breakfast, local soldiers from Fort Drum demonstrated how to correctly fold and dispose of American flags.
The most difficult project we are working on is connecting students with a surprise coming home visit from their loved ones. Reconnecting a student and soldier through a coming home visit will be RED’s biggest achievement.
Remember Everyone Deployed is expanding beyond the boundaries this club has ever seen. Diving into untouched waters allows us to take part in unique ideas. Setting high expectations will allow us to grow more as a club, and will impact people’s lives in more ways than before. Although our club is small, we make a difference in many service members’ lives. RED is excited to partake in the change and to give service members the care and respect they earned.
