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Local woman’s club joins forces to help a soldier help Iraqi kids

12 June 2008 – Shirley Johnson (center, holding the photo) is the mother of Joseph Johnson, a local soldier currently stationed in Iraq. When Joseph expressed concern to her that the Iraqi children he came into contact with didn’t have candy and other goodies, Shirley and the rest of the Southern Wayne Woman’s Club came together and made a package of items for him to give to the kids in Iraq. Pictured from left to right are Terri Gardner, Sandra Mooring, Larry Pierce II of Going Postal (where the package was sent), Shirley Johnson, Ann Shaw and Linda McLendon. submitted photo

By John Cate, staff writer

When Joseph Johnson was a young man growing up near Dudley, he could get all the candy and other goodies he wanted, and he didn’t have to worry about being killed or injured to get them.

The children of Iraq, in many cases, aren’t so fortunate. But Mr. Johnson, now a 21-year-old soldier in the U.S. Army serving a tour of duty in the strife-ridden country, wanted to do something to help. Thanks to the Southern Wayne Woman’s Club, he will soon be able to.

Johnson, who has become a father himself since beginning his tour in Iraq nearly a year ago, didn’t need anything for himself, but was disappointed that the children he saw in the areas of Iraq he’s served in could not really enjoy being children. Between the occasional terrorist attack that put the lives of innocent bystanders in danger, to the irregular flow of basic needs like food and water, there wasn’t much time for candy and treats.

“He wished for things that he could give the children, rather than things he needed for himself,” said Sandra Mooring, president of the Woman’s Club. “We wanted to try to help.”

When Mr. Johnson’s grandmother recently joined the club, she told her fellow members about his wish that he could have goodies to give to the children. The Woman’s Club, which has been around since the early 1970s, hosting fundraisers to put money back into the community, sponsoring scholarships and other projects of benefit to the community, decided to send their first-ever ‘care package’ to Iraq.

“He’ll be able to do something for those children,” said Mrs. Mooring. “He’s seen a lot of things over there. It’s unbelievable how people can come home after serving in a war and be a part of the community again after all they’ve seen.”

The good news is that Mr. Johnson won’t have to be there much longer. His tour of duty is nearly over, and the package from home will make winding down his tour a little more enjoyable for the children of Iraq.

“He’s due home soon,” Mrs. Mooring said. “It sounds like our prayers have been answered.”

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