Patriotic birthday

The now 8-year-old Greenfield Center resident used her birthday, and the four months before, to raise money and items to send care packages to the troops in Iraq. She was recognized for her actions this past weekend by a representative from the Glens Falls-based 446 Support Medical Company at the headquarters of Operation Adopt-a-Soldier.

Dan Henderson, Casie’s father, said the family faced the constant issue of accumulating too much stuff, so he suggested that for Casie’s birthday, she consider doing something different than a regular party which would just add to it.

Casie and her mother, Charlene, considered many options including donating time to a charity. They finally settled on asking people to donate items that could be used to create care packages to send to the troops in Iraq.

The Hendersons partnered up with Operation Adopt-a-Soldier in Wilton and for about four months they had collection boxes in different local businesses. For her birthday, in lieu of gifts, Casie asked all her schoolmates and friends to bring things that could go in the care packages.

“I couldn’t believe it when her mother e-mailed me and told me what Casie wanted to do,” said Adopt-a-Soldier’s Cliff Seguin Jr. “It just goes to show that even the smaller children in the United States have a feeling something is going on out there and that there are soldiers in harm’s way and that they can do something to help out.”

After the four months and her birthday, Casie raised enough for 29 cases of goods and more than $500.

On Saturday, Aug. 25, Casie and her family went to Adopt-a-Soldier to pack up the actual boxes that are going out to the troops. In the boxes she included letters that were written by the children who attended her birthday party.

On had at Adopt-a-Soldier on Saturday was Captain Jeff Oakes, who presented Casie with a plaque and a flag that was flown in her honor over the base in Iraq in which the 466th Support Medical Company is stationed.

On top of the honor of receiving the flag, Casie has been receiving notes and letters from all over the country and a bunch of troops from overseas.

“That’s been the part she’s enjoyed most,” said her father. “She’s been thrilled to receive all these birthday cards from people she doesn’t know.”

“We just sent out a blanket response to everyone who had made a donation, but she is going to follow up with more personal letters to the people who sent her the more personal cards.”