Wounded warriors get help from Spotswood
Students raise funds to help injured vets upon return to U.S.
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD - Spotswood High School teacher Frank Yusko was watching "The O'Reilly Factor" one night when New York Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon was on as national spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The organization, Damon said, aims to supply returning amputee and wheelchair-bound war veterans with backpacks full of needed supplies.

Yusko, a Vietnam veteran who has run other programs to honor veterans and support troops, was so moved he decided to enlist the help of his high school History and Octagon clubs to help further the cause. A Vietnam War veteran himself, Yusko knew that over 3,000 U.S. troops have been killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and more than 20,000 wounded. Many of those have lost limbs or are in wheelchairs.

"I thought this was something my kids should get involved in," he said.

He never realized it would turn into such a massive success, one that would make the school a model for others to follow.

After weeks of fundraising, the groups amassed about $2,200, or enough to pay for 22 of the "recovery packages" for the Wounded Warrior Project. That total may soon rise, though, as Yusko said he's been promised another $500 donation.

And the figure will rise for another reason as well. Michael Chan, the father of one of Yusko's students and the owner of River Mill Art Gallery in South River, recently raised funds for the project. Chan held a special sale recently with selected prints, framed posters, jewelry and other items selling at reduced prices, with all proceeds going toward the Wounded Warrior Project. Yusko said about $400 was raised on top of the $2,200 collected at the school.

The backpacks, which are given to the veterans upon their arrival at a U.S. military hospital, include anything from toiletries to clothing and books.

"It's whatever these people need," Yusko said. "A lot of these people return to hospitals with absolutely nothing."

The contents of each backpack cost $99, and each has a tag with the name and address of the sponsor.

Yusko said his students raised the money through leg work, contacting family and friends for support.

"I'd like to say we had some kind of clever fundraising policy," he said. "But we simply told people what it was, and it resonated. People were very supportive, and the money just kind of flowed in."

"When we began, we thought it would be nice to supply a few backpacks," he said. "But we made enough for over 20."

The money is sent to the Florida-based Wounded Warrior Project, which then buys the items for the backpacks.

The students' work has been enough to convince the Wounded Warrior Project to use the school's efforts as an example to others, according to the national project's development coordinator, Catherine Pillsbury.

"I want to use you and the Spotswood High School History Club as a model on how other schools can get involved and raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project," she wrote in an e-mail to Yusko on Friday.

Pillsbury is sending the students T-shirts and a plaque for their "tremendous fundraising efforts."

"I am so proud of you and your club for wanting to be such a crucial part in making a difference in injured soldiers' lives," she wrote.

"As the number of wounded U.S. armed forces increases, so does the need. Each one has a face, a family, and a future."