Alpha Omicron Pi hosts Sisters for Soldiers to prepare care packages for U.S. military serving overseas

Molly Stern

Antelope Staff

Community members bustle around.

Twinkling Christmas lights catch your eye.

Holiday music fills the house.

Smells of hot chocolate waft through the room.

With the holiday season quickly approaching, the sisters of Alpha Omicron Pi are trying to give back as much as possible. Nov. 9 they hosted their fifth annual Sisters for Soldiers event where they invite UNK students and Kearney community members to stuff care packages to send overseas to soldiers.

Rachel Overby is a junior member majoring in advertising and public relations from Omaha. “Our goal is make people aware that simple things like a Sudoku book or a Slim Jim can really make a difference in a soldier’s life,” Overby said. “It’s the little thought that can make the biggest difference.”

Handwritten letters.

Candy and treats.

Playing cards.

Games.

These are just a few of the things guests are invited to add to their personalized box they put together for a soldier.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Alpha Omicron Pi set up booths outside of local grocery stores to ask for donations.

“We try and catch people before they go into the stores, so while they are shopping they can hopefully purchase some of the items off of the list to donate,” Overby said.

For those that donate money, all of the money raised goes toward purchasing the boxes and the extra shipping fees.

Laughter fills the air.

Miss Nebraska tells stories.

Camera’s flash.

Guests complimenting the delicious chocolate chip cookies. 

The fun didn’t stop after making your way through the line to fill a box. There were cookies to be eaten, hot chocolate to be drunk and Miss Nebraska to take pictures with.

“Alpha Omircron Pi was one of the first groups to contact me after winning, and once I learned more about the event, I couldn’t pass it up,” Miss Nebraska (Allison Tietjen) said.

Miss Nebraska’s platform is United We Stand: Honoring Our Military which was inspired by her late grandfather who proudly served as a Marine in the Korean War.

“I hope to help people understand the service and sacrifice made by military men and women for our country,”
Miss Nebraska said. “I think what Alpha Omicron Pi is doing is an amazing thing, and I love the impact it will have not only on the soldiers serving our country but also this community.”

One of the great things about this event is that it is open to the community for anyone wanting to lend a helping hand.

Lexi Vecera, a freshman from Fremont studying nursing was one of the many who stopped by the house that chilly Thursday night.

“I have always had a special place in my heart for the military and those serving our country so when I heard about Alpha Omicron Pi putting on Sisters for Soldiers, I knew I had to contribute in some way,” Vecera said.

Vecera wrote a few letters thanking the soldiers for their service and helped pack a couple of boxes.

When asked what kind of impact they hoped to make, Alpha Omicron Pi President senior math education major Alexis Stockton of Fort Collins, Colorado, said, “We hope it makes them smile and realize that there are people back home that care about them and are thinking of them. I couldn’t imagine being away from my family for the holidays so I hope this makes it a little easier for them”

This year the goal for the event was to fill at least 215 boxes. This goal was succeeded easily with Alpha Omicron Pi boxing 225 packages to send to soldiers for the holidays.