Project Rudolph spreads holiday cheer

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kelly LeGuillon
  • 435th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  They say good things come in small packages. That saying is true for the thousands of small paper bags put together this holiday season with the help of Project Rudolph.

Though small in size, the small bags help to spread "holiday cheer" through the KMC and to service members in the area of responsibility.

"The bags consist of a hand decorated brown paper bag, non-breakable Christmas ornament, hand written letters by adults and children, the poem 'A Soldier's Christmas', a candy cane and American and German candy," said Tawny Archibald Campbell, founder of Project Rudolph.

Tawny and her husband, Joe, a flight medic, came to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, in 2006. According to Mrs. Campbell, Project Rudolph was started as a way to provide a bit of holiday cheer to service members in the AOR and those deploying the week before Christmas.

In the past two years, Project Rudolph has recruited help from seven countries and 35 different states. There has also been a lot of community involvement in the program from organizations in the KMC like the Department of Defense Dependent Schools, the Airmen and Family Readiness Center, Girl Scouts and various military units.

"Our donations have more than tripled this year, and we have seen how much the community supports our military in every package of donations we get," Mrs. Campbell added.

Bags are mailed to the AOR as well as given to service members, staff, LRMC patients, families staying in lodging and security forces personnel working on Christmas.

"Everything was wonderful and very motivating," said Army Staff Sgt. Andrea Bolton, who was serving in Iraq and received a bag last year. "The bags were beautifully decorated as were the ornaments."

Sergeant Bolton said the members in her medical company, which supported Coalition forces in Iraq, were "very appreciative and touched" by the gift bags. The sergeant also added, the best part about the gift bags was receiving them "unexpectedly" Christmas morning.

"Even the little things over the holidays can make a huge difference to our service men and women who spend the holidays away from home," Mrs. Campbell said.

But she can't do it alone. Her parents Ray and Cheri Archibald, from Oakley, Idaho, are the stateside directors for Project Rudolph. They have already assembled and sent more than 4,000 bags to the AOR.

This year's goal is to assemble a total of 7,500 bags. There are 7,600 letters still needed and about 40,000 pieces of candy have been donated so far. For more information please visit www.projectrudolph.homestead.com.