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Area church hopes to make the season bright for Army unit
Covenant Life Fellowship was advancing plans to send gifts to Anthony Fazzini and his U.S. Army unit when eight soldiers from his base were killed Oct. 3 in an attack deep in the hills of Afghanistan. It would take another month before Fazzini's parents heard from him, learning he had suffered just a minor concussion from the fallout of the bombings.
"That was horrendous," said the soldier's aunt, Sue Fazzini, a nun in Ruff Creek.
The church elected to adopt Fazzini's unit, the 4th Infantry at Fort Carson, Colo., because they were looking for a community-based outreach project. Fazzini grew up in Donora and graduated in 2007 from Ringgold High School, said Linus Mayernik, a member of the congregation.
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"It just so happened it fell into our laps," he said.
And the response from the Washington area to the request for donations has been overwhelming.
"The biggest surprise, blessing, to me is how the community stepped up to the plate," said the Rev. Craig Bellis, church pastor.
Every student in kindergarten through eighth grade in Washington School District donated $1 to pay for the postage for sending the gifts. They also wrote the soldiers letters, as did students from Washington & Jefferson College.
"It's incredible," Sue Fazzini said.
The congregation has been in contact with the unit chaplain to make sure the items that were being packed Tuesday met military guidelines for troop donations. The soldiers are in such a remote area that they have just a few laptops to pass the time, he said.
When the collection ended Tuesday night, the church had collected nine large barrels of gifts and $900, money that will be used for postage and to buy the soldiers electric water coolers.
They will be receiving such items as pocket Bibles, beef jerky, candy and magazines, as well as movies to watch on computers, said Mayernik, who grew up in Donora. Washington County Commissioner J. Bracken Burns kicked in decks of playing cards bearing his likeness.
"We tried to stick to what they wanted," said church administrator Cindy Speer of Washington.
"They'll make it there in time for Christmas," Mayernik said.
Donors are Washington Park School, Allegheny Ludlum Stainless Steel, Ferro Corp., Burgettstown Elementary Center, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 191 in Canonsburg, Washington Rotating Control Heads, Shooters Bar, Washington & Jefferson College, Trinity High School, Chartiers-Houston High School and East Washington football.
