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For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Steve Rosa, 703.923.7612 Lara Coffee,
703.923.7608
srosa@sempercomm.org
lcoffee@sempercomm.org
SemperComm Auction Brings out The Best:
‘Silent Stars’ purchase gifts for wounded servicemen
SPRINGFIELD, VA – May 24, 2006 - Country star Aaron Tippin brought down the
house May 11, in Washington, D.C., at The SemperComm Foundation’s 2006
Annual Gala and Silent Auction at the Mandarin Oriental hotel to help raise
funds for the Foundation’s activities. The gala drew a crowd of more than
600, packing the grand ballroom. The event brought together well-wishers,
local and national business leaders, foreign dignitaries, members of
Congress and several recently wounded servicemen from the battlefields in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
While the crowd cheers for Tippin were still reverberating throughout the
ballroom, quiet donations were being made directly to two of the wounded
servicemen by anonymous benefactors attending the gala. U.S. Marine Lance
Corporal Joel Klobnak, 19, received an autographed guitar donated by country
star Tim McGraw that went for $3,400, and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Chris
Bain, 35, was presented an all-expenses-paid golfing package to Los Angeles
valued at $1,200.
Both Klobnak and Bain are being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
in Washington for wounds received during recent service in Iraq. Klobnak
lost his leg, and Bain has severe nerve damage to both arms and hands.
Klobnak recently returned home to Norwalk, IA, for a short Memorial Day
holiday visit, but will be returning for Walter Reed for additional
treatment. Bain hails from Williamsport, PA, and has been undergoing
rigorous therapy for his nerve damage.
“Seems like we have some silent stars in our midst,” said Lara Coffee,
SemperComm’s executive director. “While both donors wish to remain
anonymous, we certainly want to thank them for their generosity. Both
servicemen were shocked to have these items given to them at the end of the
night, and I know they both couldn’t be happier to have received them.
“This is what SemperComm’s true mission is—giving back to the men and women
who give so much for us,” Coffee added.
About The SemperComm Foundation
The SemperComm Foundation is a charitable nonprofit organization founded to
boost the morale of U.S. service members stationed at overseas remote bases,
by providing them with the means to communicate with loved ones back home
and with access to a variety of entertainment equipment in order to make
life at remote postings more bearable. The name SemperComm (Always
Communications) is derived from the Marine Corps motto “Semper Fidelis”
(Always Faithful). SemperComm is supported by its title partner, Computer
Systems Center Incorporated (CSCI); its entertainment partner, Stars For
Stripes; and its presenting sponsor, PC Recycler. For information about
SemperComm, visit www.sempercomm.org.
—SemperComm— |
