November 12, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH – November 13, 2007 The Palm Beach County Tax Collector launched its “Helmets for the Holidays” campaign this morning during a ceremony held on the third floor of the Governmental Center. The Tax Collector’s office is supporting deployed service men and women through Forgotten Soldiers Outreach (FSO), an organization that sends care packages to soldiers who may not otherwise receive packages. “Helmets for the Holidays” postcards (see embedded image) were designed by Tax Collector employees to raise money for holiday care package postage.

Darlene Spence, Deputy Tax Collector in Field Service, opened the ceremony by singing “The Star – Spangled Banner” a cappella to a crowd of more than 75 employees and guests. The event continued with touching presentations from Sgt. James Roberts, a surprise guest and former recipient of FSO packages, Lynelle Chauncy, Founder of FSO, and Tax Collector Anne Gannon. Tania Bruschi, Communications Center Manager, introduced the Tax Collector’s “Hero’s Wall”, which honors deployed relatives of Tax Collector employees.

The Tax Collector’s office will sell the “Helmets for the Holidays” postcards to its employees for $1 each to write an encouraging or inspirational message to a soldier. These postcards will be collected and included with the care packages sent to the troops during the holidays. FSO has received package requests from over 900 deployed soldiers (up from 500 requests a year ago) and will need to raise approximately $16,000 to accommodate those requests.

The “Helmets for the Holidays” plan is so popular that many individuals outside of the Tax Collector’s office are adopting the fundraising program. Organizations and