Cheerleading group prepares 200 care packages on JBM-HH for service members, families

By Delonte Harrod, Pentagram Staff WriterNovember 20, 2015

Cheerleading group prepares 200 care packages on JBM-HH for service members, families
From left, Brandon Mason, 13; Khyla Mason, 11; and Shawnee Chaffin, 13; all members of the All Star Legacy Cheer and Dance group out of Front Royal, Va., pack care packages Nov. 14 inside the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Fire Station on the Fort My... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

"Without the military, we wouldn't be able to do what we are doing right now," said Donna Rogers, coach and manager of All-Star Legacy, a cheerleading group. "They fight for our freedom."

Rogers, 20 cheerleaders from The All-Star Legacy gym and 10 parents traveled to the fire station on Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH to assemble care packages for military service members Nov. 14.

The group volunteered to make the care packages as a means of giving back to the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces, according to event organizers.

"We really feel like it's a good thing that we do this, because it is really [helping the Soldiers] out," said 14-year-old Kaly Newhouse, an All-Star Legacy cheerleader.

Male and female and parents assembled 200 care packages for several areas.

"[Initially], we told them we were going to put together 50, but we decided to do 200 care packs," said Rogers.

"They give us so much," said Angela Mason, a parent who traveled with the cheerleading group. "For us to give so little, it doesn't compare. We wanted to give something back."

According to Annabelle Riccio, USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore's vice president of marketing and development, the 200 completed care packages will go to service men, women and their family members who travel through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and, while there, use the USO lounge.

The cheerleading gym is based out of Front Royal, Va. As a fairly new organization, the group members want to be known for serving their community, not just for cheering. According to Rogers, the gym's founder, the group has done more community service projects than actual cheer competitions.

"We believe in giving as much to our community as we do [competing in competitions]," added Rogers. "At the beginning of the season, we asked our kids to sign contracts that says not only will they be good cheerleaders, but that they would be good on and off the mats."

To continue to show their appreciation for the men and women who serve in the military, All-Star Legacy is looking to prepare an additional 50 care packages for those who have been deployed from the Front Royal community.

"We have names that have been given to us by people who've actually been deployed and are on the ground in Germany, Afghanistan and Pakistan," said Rogers. "The military is the reason we are all here."