From Alabama to Afghanistan:

Jan. 6, 2011 - PRLog -- Many of the soldiers serving overseas this holiday will be saying thank you to the employees of the Center of Domestic Preparedness (CDP). Inspired by a local news broadcast that reported a shortage of personal items for troops overseas, a small team of employees of Beacon Associates, a contractor at CDP, started a collection of items to donate. The drive started back in August, and by October, the team had gathered more than 3,000 items, donated by both CDP employees and outside volunteers. This is just one of the many charitable acts that Beacon’s employees have supported throughout the year and demonstrates the true generosity and concern for others that exists within the CDP team in Anniston, AL.

“We truly have an amazing group of people working down in Anniston. We [Beacon] are just happy to be able to support a cause that our employees, and Beacon as a company, care so strongly about,” says Ann Marie Bryant, Chief Operating Officer at Beacon.

“There were many (after) hours of shopping, sorting, counting, packing, and re-packing involved in this project, but it was worth every minute of our time” explains Jessica Joiner, one of the employees who supported this drive. “It was the least we could do for our troops, especially considering everything they do for us daily.” CDP employees contacted local organizations for donations, researched shipping costs, assembled and sorted goods, purchased items with donated money and identified which units stationed in Afghanistan needed assistance most. A total of 33 boxes weighing approximately 400 pounds were sent overseas by mid-November to ensure they would arrive to troops in time for the holidays. Items collected consisted of snacks, comfort items, and toiletries, including 1,000 tubes of toothpaste, 300 toothbrushes, and mouthwash provided by a local dentist.

Beacon’s CDP Project Manager, Ken Saunders, comments “I have worked at the CDP since it opened its doors in 1998, worked for four different contractors, and have never seen the camaraderie and desire to help others the way this team does.” Since December 2009, Beacon′s CDP employees have provided a "Christmas" for three families; raised money for breast cancer awareness; and collected supplies for soldiers serving in the Middle East.

“It was the least we could do considering all our troops have done and will continue to do for us,” said April Martin, a Beacon Team member who played a large part in this effort.

Melissa Remington, a Beacon Team employee, stated “I just want our soldiers to know that they do have someone that doesn’t even know them who appreciates and supports them. I’m lucky enough to work with an amazing team like the Beacon Team and to have coworkers to care about these things as much as I do.”

Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), a sub-agency under the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, is a national training facility dedicated to preparing state and local emergency response personnel to respond to all hazards. Beacon has over 40 personnel providing training support services for McClellan’s Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Alabama. Training support includes course scheduling, admissions recruitment and registration, travel logistics, historical documentation and more.

Beacon is a woman-owned, small business and consulting firm that offers organizational effectiveness and operational solutions to the federal government. They are a certified 8(a) company, and some of their major customers include federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Beacon is committed to providing outstanding service, value, and integrity to all our customers. We are also dedicated to giving back to the communities in which we work by contributing to non-profits and participating in civic organizations.

Contact:
Kristen Vanderbush, Beacon Associates, Inc.
703-371-3452
kvanderbush@beaconassociates.net

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Beacon Associates, Inc. partners with the Government to provide organizational, operational, and technology based solutions to help them achieve their desired outcomes.