thedrifter
11-09-08, 06:23 AM
Spread the word: Group wants to give magazine subscriptions to Marines
Published Sun, Nov 9, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
A Tennessee-based company hopes Beaufort-area residents will help give troops abroad a monthly taste of home this Veterans Day.
Subscriptions for Soldiers, a nonprofit program started in April by Magazines.com, seeks to support the nation's troops stationed overseas by providing them free magazine subscriptions, said Kitty Pedigo,program spokeswoman and former Navy hospital corpsman.
"What we've heard most from the soldiers that we've helped with this program is that magazines are a really simple form of stress relief,"Pedigo said. "When they get that magazine every month, it's really a chance for them to relax and take a break from what they're experiencing over there."
Service members can request up to three magazine titles each year from a list of 30 publications. The subscriptions are paid for with $10 donations received from corporations, family members and individuals.
"We may think it's a small thing, but to the troops it's huge," Pedigo said. "These are people who don't have the luxury of going to Wal-Mart or a bookstore to get the latest copy of their favorite magazine."
When the program was launched this spring, Pedigo said the company received more than 11,000 requests. Subscriptions for Soldiers has more than 6,000 requests still to be filled.
Marketing the program in military communities, such as Beaufort, is a high priority for Magazines.com, said Sara Barksdale of Duffey Communications, the Atlanta-based public relations firm hired to market Subscriptions for Soldiers.
"As we look to grow this program, we're noticing that not only does the public largely not know about the program, but soldiers deployed right now don't even know the program exists," Barksdale said. "We're hoping that if we get the word out that we're doing this in military communities like Beaufort, when the service members stationed in those communities are deployed that they'll remember us and remember that this is available to them."
•Service members wishing to receive a free magazine subscription should visit www.subs4servicemembers.com. •Residents or business owners wishing to sponsor a soldier's magazine subscription can visit www.subs4soldiers.com.
Ellie
Published Sun, Nov 9, 2008 12:00 AM
By PATRICK DONOHUE
pdonohue@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
A Tennessee-based company hopes Beaufort-area residents will help give troops abroad a monthly taste of home this Veterans Day.
Subscriptions for Soldiers, a nonprofit program started in April by Magazines.com, seeks to support the nation's troops stationed overseas by providing them free magazine subscriptions, said Kitty Pedigo,program spokeswoman and former Navy hospital corpsman.
"What we've heard most from the soldiers that we've helped with this program is that magazines are a really simple form of stress relief,"Pedigo said. "When they get that magazine every month, it's really a chance for them to relax and take a break from what they're experiencing over there."
Service members can request up to three magazine titles each year from a list of 30 publications. The subscriptions are paid for with $10 donations received from corporations, family members and individuals.
"We may think it's a small thing, but to the troops it's huge," Pedigo said. "These are people who don't have the luxury of going to Wal-Mart or a bookstore to get the latest copy of their favorite magazine."
When the program was launched this spring, Pedigo said the company received more than 11,000 requests. Subscriptions for Soldiers has more than 6,000 requests still to be filled.
Marketing the program in military communities, such as Beaufort, is a high priority for Magazines.com, said Sara Barksdale of Duffey Communications, the Atlanta-based public relations firm hired to market Subscriptions for Soldiers.
"As we look to grow this program, we're noticing that not only does the public largely not know about the program, but soldiers deployed right now don't even know the program exists," Barksdale said. "We're hoping that if we get the word out that we're doing this in military communities like Beaufort, when the service members stationed in those communities are deployed that they'll remember us and remember that this is available to them."
•Service members wishing to receive a free magazine subscription should visit www.subs4servicemembers.com. •Residents or business owners wishing to sponsor a soldier's magazine subscription can visit www.subs4soldiers.com.
Ellie