A total of $970 was collected for the Backstage Crew Fund designated to the support of the Middletown National Guard 324th Military Police unit recently called back to duty to help with the hurricane relief project. The money collected was used to purchase gift cards and gift certificates redeemable at area grocery and general merchandise stores or gasoline stations. The cards were given to a representative of the local National Guard unit to distribute to guard families in need.
Barb LaPierre of TV Middletown, led the effort to assist the families of the National Guard troops called back to service as a way the entertainment community could take the lead in a very special way to assist in the disaster recovery.
Those in the entertainment field understand very well the importance of a good backstage crew and want to help the Guard’s “backstage crew,” their families, while the troops were away from home.
The Middletown Guard unit returned from a long deployment in Iraq only a year ago and were recently redeployed to Mississippi to help with hurricane relief.. They are now back home again.
While these troops are on active duty, their families often suffer from a loss of income from their regular jobs, additional expenses and stress. The Backstage Crew helped to not only relieve some of the financial strain, but also show that the sacrifices are appreciated.
LaPierre thanked all those who contributed to the project and passes along the appreciation from the National Guard families who received the aid.