Nicole Johnson with her fellow Miss Americas on a C-17 in the combat zone. Nicole is in the left corner with the pink diabetes pump on her hip. (Photo courtesy: USF)
From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Rex has departed on a multi-day mission and asked me to update his readers on a couple of wonderful new developments with our school supplies drive.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to meet with Michael Hoad, University of South Florida’s Vice President of Communications who is also Associate Vice President of Communications for USF Health, the health/medical research and treatment arm of the university where I have taught since 2002. With Michael came USF grad and Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson who now works with USF’s Diabetes Center.
Nicole Johnson, Miss America 1999, is an international diabetes advocate. She travels extensively promoting awareness, prevention, and intensive management of the condition she has shared for fifteen years.
Michael organized our lively coffee break to introduce us two ladies to each other because Nicole had recently returned from Afghanistan. What stories she could tell! And she had even been to Rex’s old camp at Camp Blackhorse and seen some of the projects Rex’s team worked on. It was an absolutely amazing hour of great stories and friendship and brain storming with the end result of Nicole joining forces with us for the school supplies project for Afghan children.
More about Nicole trip to Afghanistan here: USF\’s Nicole Johnson visits soldiers in Afghanistan
Or watch this video WFLA-TV: Beauty queen\’s combat travel
You can also read more about this special trip six former Miss Americas went on to support U.S. troops in the combat zone at this link:
http://pearlpenny.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/miss-americas-visits-soldiers-in-afghanistan/
Spc. Christoper "Kit" Lowe stands with Benedictine Military School principal Deborah Antosca during a presentation in which Lowe gave his Purple Heart Medal to his alma mater while encouraging the current students to collect school supplies for Afghan children. Photo courtesy of WSAV-TV in Savannah, Ga.
And one last fun development. USF Bulls will have a military appreciation game on Nov. 21 at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium (they play Louisville and it’s also Homecoming). I will have the honor of taking Rex’s wounded teammate SPC Christopher “Kit” Lowe to that game and Nicole said we might be able to sit together. I would love to see these two very dynamic and positive individuals meet each other, share a football game and also their thoughts and goals for this school supplies project in Afghanistan.
As Kit’s mom Sandi would say – this was a JOY-filled week.
If you would like more information about the school supplies project, please click on the special tab at the top of this page.
Filed under: School supplies project, Videos | Tagged: Afghanistan, Deployment, humanitarian mission, Miss America, Nicole Johnson, SPC Christopher "Kit" Lowe, University of South Florida, USF, USF Bulls, USF Diabetes Center, USF Health, war
good to see spc.lowe.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 11/02/2009 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
[...] the rest here: Miss America joins school supplies drive By admin | category: school supplies | tags: absolutely-amazing, afghan, donating-some, [...]