Anaheim 13th
Marine Expeditionary Unit
Adoption Committee Newsletter
May 2014
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Committee Meetings
City Hall - 7th Floor
10:00am
2014
May 21, 2014
June 18, 2014
July 16, 2014
August 20, 2014
September 17, 2014
October 15, 2014
November 19, 2014
No meeting in December
SAVE THE DATE
The 2015 Semper 5K
Run will be held on
Saturday, March 21
Your tax deductible donation for every event can be mailed to us: Anaheim 13th MEU Adoption Commit-
tee, 5753-G E. Santa Ana Canyon Rd, #601, Anaheim, CA 92807. Donations can also be dropped off at
City Hall, 7th Floor or to arrange for a pickup, please call 714-637-5575. If you prefer, you can send a check
payable to the Committee with a notation on the memo line as to how you would like your donation used.
After 8 long months of deployment, the 13th MEU is home! A huge Homecoming Celebration
was held on April 24 at Camp Pendleton as we welcomed home the members of the 13th
MEU. There was not a dry eye on the beach as the Marines and Sailors were met by their
loved ones. You’ve never seen a military reunion until you’ve actually seen one in person.
We are so blessed that all of our Marines and Sailors came home to their families safe and
sound. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time. So many people from all over
came together to volunteer their time and other resources to ensure the members of the 13th
MEU and their families knew how appreciated and loved they are. Several members of the
Committee attended the event. No matter how many of these events we attend, each one is
like the first one and we never get tired of wishing our
heroes a huge THANK YOU & WELCOME HOME!
Stay Connected
Adoption Committee Website: www.anaheim.net/13thMEU
Facebook: www.facebook.com/13thMEU
Get Involved
Write
If you would like to send a
letter or card of support to
a member of the 13th MEU,
please write to:
“Any Marine”
c/o Chap. Darren Stennett
13th MEU
P.O. Box 555636
Camp Pendleton, CA 92055
Donate
The Anaheim 13th MEU
Adoption Committee is a
volunteer based, citizen-run
501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. We rely
solely on corporate and
individual donations in
our support of the
Marines, Sailors and
families of the 13th MEU.
Donations can be mailed to
Anaheim 13th MEU
Adoption Committee
5753-G E. Santa Ana
Canyon Rd. #601
Anaheim, CA 92807
714-637-5575
Charity ID #80-0153575
Thank you to all who donated items to be
placed in the Welcome Home Bags for our
returning Marines and Sailors. A special
Thank You to the congregations of The
Rock Community Church in Anaheim
and The Crossings Church in Corona.
When approached to help collect several
hundred items, both churches jumped at the
opportunity to give back. The children
made Thank You cards to include in the
bags as well. Thank you also to Claudia
from Colorado who was driving by and saw
committee members stuffing the bags and
stopped by to help. What a wonderful addi-
tion she was to the “bag stuffing party”.
The response to our donation solicitation
was amazing and once again, members of
the community pulled together and made a
huge difference. The generosity and sup-
port shown was priceless and appreciated.
Easter may have come and gone but the memories live on thanks to so many who donated baskets and gift cards. Not only did
we collect the number of baskets needed for the families of the MEU, people were so generous we were able to take Easter bas-
kets to the hospital and bless the children there with Easter too! Imagine how sad a sick child must have felt being in the hospi-
tal on Easter morning and then imagine how quickly they perked up when given a basket - a basket donated just for them by a
complete stranger. The difference made is amazing and to all who donated, we cannot thank you enough.
Saying “Thank You” to those who donated and made the day so special for the children just doesn’t seem enough. As you can
see by the pictures, the kids truly had a great time and many had such a hard time picking out that perfect baskets amongst all
those donated. The call for baskets and gift cards went out and the response was almost immediate. The blessing of so many
wonderful people is one that the committee never takes for granted and we are continually grateful for the support always shown
for our families.
A special “Thank You” to Jeanne Spence, Della Kirchner, Drew Lerner, Letty Valdez, Jack Sievers and Linda Garcia
who went above and beyond with their beautiful baskets once again this year. Thank you to the Anaheim YMCA for donating
the wonderful baskets made by their kids for our kids. These cute baskets are assembled by the kids attending the YMCA and
are used as centerpieces for the Good Friday Breakfast. The YMCA has been so generous over the last several years to our
families as they have donated all those baskets back to the MEU Easter Drive. In addition to all the candy-filled Easter eggs
were golden eggs which contained the grand prizes. Thank you to Disneyland and the Anaheim Hilton once again for their
generosity. A trip to Disneyland and an over-night stay at the Hilton is something that the winners will surely remember fondly
for years to come. Thank you also to Anaheim Discovery Christian School (ADCS) - we needed those $15 Target gift cards
for the teenagers, and our friends at ADCS came through again.
Enjoy the pictures and know that none of this would have been possible without so many angels who blessed these children.
The smiles, excitement and laughs are what being a child is all about - giving them this day, especially during deployment, is an
amazing gift. Thank you again to all who donated - your kindness will NEVER be forgotten!
Due to the outpouring of support, boxes of baskets were taken to the hospital. They
couldn’t be at Easter, but we were able to bring Easter to them. What a blessing!
WELCOME HOME TO MEMBERS OF THE 13TH MEU - 2014 HOMECOMING
Homecoming and Easter pictures by Raymie Chapman
2014 13TH MEU EASTER PARTY - CAMP PENDLETON