Trabuco Hills High School Pep Squad helps the Mission Viejo VFW

THANK YOU to Trabuco Hills High School Girl's Pep Squad The "Pep Squad" from Trabuco Hills High School volunteered to clean out and straighten the VFW Post 6024 meeting room storage area at the Norman Murray Center. They left it in a fresh & orderly condition last Saturday, February 10th. Under the watchful eye of one of the schools' Pep Squad Community Service Liaisons, Tracy Newell... Olivia Barbara, Hannah Yonemitsu, Anna Starkey, Mia Soler, and Hadyn Newell earned personal Community Service credits for their Community Service award patch through the THHS Pep Squad.

Mrs. Newell is married to a retired U.S. Marine Corps Combat Veteran. She is no newcomer to the VFW, having grown up with both grandfathers (WWII), belonging to a VFW post in Norwalk (Los Angeles County), and both were also awarded the Bronze Star. Her step-grandfather helped liberate the German POW camp, Dachau. Tracy’s grandmother helped run the VFW Post canteen. Her father is a Vietnam veteran—an amazing family.

Tracy has handed out buddy poppies and attended activities at the VFW since she was six years old. She told Post 6024 Commander John Carson that the Trabuco Hills High School Pep squad has an optional volunteer program where they could earn a Community Service award patch once they volunteer a minimum of 50 hours (in each season). In addition, the SVUSD school district requires 8 community service hours for high school graduation. The team felt they could help a veteran organization by doing clean-up work if they needed it. Commander Carson immediately thought of the Norman P. Murray Center storage closet where post-meetings are held.

Post 6024 shares the storage closet with several other organizations. Over the years the shared closet has become a bit untidy, to say the least. Post 6024’s Senior Vice Commander Rene Macare, Junior Vice Commander Al Hicks, and Quartermaster Harshu Sharma were on hand to help sort out all the items in the shed. Tracy Newell's husband, Bob Newell, was at the Murray Center as well. Mr. Newell and the post members discussed their military adventures and experiences.

The post members were able to tell the Pep Squad about the VFW Buddy Poppies' history while they toiled. They were each given a buddy poppy and a VFW handout story about the history of the buddy poppies. A fun and VERY productive morning! It was a gratifying time for all. The young ladies got to help a veteran organization, earn high school graduation credits, and meet real American heroes. The post-veterans met the youth of tomorrow and left a good, lasting impression on them. The post is now the recipient of a clean and organized storage shed. For how long it will remain to be seen? Thanks again to the Trabuco Hills High School Pep Squad and Pep Squad Community Service Liaison, Tracy Newell.Edward J. Kearns VFW Post 6024.

Commander John Carson and Adjutant Ned Costa