First Sergeants support Brevard CARES

To help Brevard County foster children, members of the First Sergeant’s Counsel Master Sgt. Luke Holsonback, Master Sgt. William Aronowitz, Master Sgt. Agnes Bradt, Tech. Sgt. Michael Pertain, and Senior Master Sgt. Michael Lindley, prepare gifts in the Security Forces Vehicle Inspection Station for the Brevard CARES Toy Drive that ran throughout December. (Courtesy Photo)

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Shirts care for County’s Kids this Christmas

Published Dec. 23, 2013
By 2nd Lt. Alicia Wallace
45th Space Wing Public Affairs

PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Throughout the month of December, the First Sergeant Council collected gifts from Patrick and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Dec. 11 approximately 1,700 gifts valued at close to $22,000 were turned over to Brevard CARES.

Brevard Coordination, Advocacy, Resources, Education and Support is a program that collects gifts from Brevard County during the holiday season and donates the gifts to foster children within the county.

This year's toy drive collected enough donations to provide for 287 foster children.

"I know these kids are going to have an amazing Christmas," said Senior Master Sgt. Michael Lindley, Air Force Technical Applications Center first sergeant and president of the First Sergeant Council. "There was a level of generosity that I had not seen before in my six years of being a first sergeant," he said.

Among the gifts were more than 25 bikes, remote control cars, e-readers, digital music players, action figures and Barbie dolls.

"This is my third year helping the children of Brevard CARES," said Master Sgt. David White, 45th Medical Group first sergeant. "Each year it seems the First Sergeant's Council and the people of team Patrick and Cape Canaveral out-do themselves from the year before. It's my favorite drive because we not only get to help kids but we also have an opportunity to give back to our local community," he said.

First Sergeants support Brevard CARES