Starting on Nov. 2 after the Kent State vs. Akron football game, the Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Government will be kicking off their weeklong Veteran’s Celebration.

From now until Nov. 11, USG and GSG will be collecting donations for care packages to be sent to soldiers overseas. Students can take their donations to the USG office in room 133 of the Student Union or to the Military Service Center in Simmons Hall.

“I have seen USG work harder on this event than many in the last few years, and it would be really exciting to see the community come together in a very tangible way and make this a reality,” USG President Turner Anderson said. “I’m hoping to see a situation where we have trouble actually having enough people to stuff the boxes because we have too many items.”

The initial planning of Veteran’s Celebration was spearheaded by various university departments, such as the Military Services Center, University Libraries, and Athletics. USG and GSG were invited to a meeting to help brainstorm ideas of how to celebrate our veterans. It was here that the care package collection drive was suggested.

“Veteran’s Celebration was actually an idea originally formulated by various entities across campus to celebrate our military. While I attended a meeting for the various events for the week, they asked what USG was doing, and scrambling for an answer I remembered how passionate Tunji de la Negro was last year about doing a care package drive, and figured if we could channel that passion we could make an incredible event,” Anderson said.

On Monday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the Trapezoid Lounge, students and faculty are welcome to help assemble care packages and write encouraging letters to the soldiers.

“It would be great to see everyone on campus participating in Veteran’s Celebration week. It is USG and GSG’s hope to connect the campus through our care package drive to support UA students here and abroad,” GSG President Marissa Blewitt said.

“We hope that faculty, staff and administration will join students in donating to the cause.”

For more information about the Veteran’s Celebration event, log on to www.uakron.edu/gsg.