Students collect more than 60,000 phone card minutes so soldiers can call home

Gaffney High Teenage Republicans Logan Phillips, Brett Wilkins and Blaine Lowry are shown with some phone cards that were collected for “Project Wounded Soldier.”

Ledger Staff Writer

Gaffney High Teenage Republicans have collected more than 60,000 minutes on prepaid phone cards that will allow American soldiers to call home during the holiday season.

The student organization finished its participation in a national Teenage Republicans project called “Project Wounded Soldier” on Tuesday. Gaffney High students have collected phone cards since Veteran’s Day so wounded soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq can phone their families.

Students brought in phone cards worth a total of 64,765 minutes, Gaffney High Teenage Republicans advisor Billy Pennington said. The phone cards will be sent to the National Teenage Republicans headquarters in Manassas, Va., and then distributed to soldiers.

Outback Steakhouse will provide a free lunch to the students in the classes of teachers Anne Inman and Beth Sartor for collecting the most minutes. Students in those classes collected 10,920 minutes.

Pennington was so overwhelmed with the students’ response that he will give pizza parties as an award to the two classes that finished runner-up. Teacher Farrah White’s class brought in 9,980 minutes while Vickie Tomlinson’s class had 9,740 minutes.

“This is awesome. We are really proud of them,” Pennington said. “We will have a pizza party for the classes that came in second- and third-place. Those classes did so good that I hated not to reward them for their efforts.”

Some students who brought in sufficient phone card minutes will get ACE cards that students can redeem for a free snack, drink, tardy or free homework pass.

Ultimately, Pennington said the American soldiers are the real winners.

“We hope this will allow many soldiers to call home for the holidays,” he said.