NCW BSM President Daralyn Hollenbeck presents Tonasket Ranger District Employees with plaque

The employees of the Tonasket Ranger District held a fund raiser for service groups in the area. This year, the North Central Washington Blue Star Mothers was one of their recipients. Blue Star Mothers is a nonprofit group of mothers whose children have served in the military. The group meets monthly for coffee, encouragement, and service ideas.

During a district meeting this past week, NCW Blue Star Mothers President Daralyn Hollenbeck presented a “heartfelt thank you” and memento to Ranger Dale Olsen and the district’s employees for their generous donation.

“The funds have jumpstarted our Gold Star/Wounded Warrior Committee!” Daralyn said. “Within days of the donation we became aware of a mom in Republic who was on her way to Germany to be with her daughter who had been serving with her Army unit in Afghanistan when she developed a serious lung ailment.”

The daughter was eventually transferred to the Army’s premier medical center, Brooke General Hospital in Fort Sam Houston, TX where both mother and daughter are today. Some of the funds donated to us by the Tonasket Ranger District employees were immediately placed in a Wal-Mart gift card.

“We sent it to her immediately to help with the mounting cost of incidentals she was accruing daily while staying at her daughter’s side.”

The angst of sending our sons and daughters to three conflict fronts is pushing mothers to seek out others who share the same situation. The Blue Star Mothers of America has seen their ranks swell to over 10,000 members and 220 chapters.