As always go Marlins...
Donation protected
Dear Family,Friends, Business owners, and Community leaders,
I am the Naval Science Instructor for Arnold High School’s NJROTC program. Like so many in our community the staff and cadets of Marlin Battalion find ourselves in unfamiliar territory; since hurricane Michael came ashore. Day to day we are regaining ground and momentum lost before, during, and after Michael! Marlin Battalion has always been “self-sustaining” and will continue to be. The immediate dilemma we are facing is a compression of time and scheduled events.
In a typical school year the fall is when cadets prepare and fund-raise for competitions and events scheduled January through June. To offer some insight, on 5 October we finished homecoming week at AHS. The next week Michael made land fall. We returned as guest to Surf-side Middle School on 15 November, the next day we left for Thanksgiving and were finally able to return to the Arnold campus 10 Dec; in a nut shell fundraising stopped on 5 Oct!
Upon returning to AHS we immediately started after school snack sales, which is our primary fundraiser. We are also brainstorming other viable fundraising options! With one week till Christmas break (21 Dec - 7 Jan 2019). There just is not enough time to raise the funds required to compete in our field meet 25-26 Jan 2109 in Tallahassee, Florida and beyond. Field meets are regional competitions in which cadets are evaluated against their peers. Areas evaluated are academics, military drill, and physical fitness. Last year we placed 5th overall; with a 1st place in academics, 4th in physical fitness, and 6th in drill. The cost of transportation, lodging, entry fees, and chow are in excess of $4,000.00 for these events. Please be assured that we are thrifty travelers.
I am reaching out to family, friends, community leaders, business owners, and anyone else who might offer their support in this challenging time. Any donation is greatly appreciated, will only be used to support the cadets of Arnold's NJROTC program, and is tax deductible!
I sincerely thank you for your consideration and certainly for your generosity!
Respectfully,
Bob McKibbin
MSgt USMC (Ret)
Naval Science Instructor
I am the Naval Science Instructor for Arnold High School’s NJROTC program. Like so many in our community the staff and cadets of Marlin Battalion find ourselves in unfamiliar territory; since hurricane Michael came ashore. Day to day we are regaining ground and momentum lost before, during, and after Michael! Marlin Battalion has always been “self-sustaining” and will continue to be. The immediate dilemma we are facing is a compression of time and scheduled events.
In a typical school year the fall is when cadets prepare and fund-raise for competitions and events scheduled January through June. To offer some insight, on 5 October we finished homecoming week at AHS. The next week Michael made land fall. We returned as guest to Surf-side Middle School on 15 November, the next day we left for Thanksgiving and were finally able to return to the Arnold campus 10 Dec; in a nut shell fundraising stopped on 5 Oct!
Upon returning to AHS we immediately started after school snack sales, which is our primary fundraiser. We are also brainstorming other viable fundraising options! With one week till Christmas break (21 Dec - 7 Jan 2019). There just is not enough time to raise the funds required to compete in our field meet 25-26 Jan 2109 in Tallahassee, Florida and beyond. Field meets are regional competitions in which cadets are evaluated against their peers. Areas evaluated are academics, military drill, and physical fitness. Last year we placed 5th overall; with a 1st place in academics, 4th in physical fitness, and 6th in drill. The cost of transportation, lodging, entry fees, and chow are in excess of $4,000.00 for these events. Please be assured that we are thrifty travelers.
I am reaching out to family, friends, community leaders, business owners, and anyone else who might offer their support in this challenging time. Any donation is greatly appreciated, will only be used to support the cadets of Arnold's NJROTC program, and is tax deductible!
I sincerely thank you for your consideration and certainly for your generosity!
Respectfully,
Bob McKibbin
MSgt USMC (Ret)
Naval Science Instructor
Organizer
Bobby McKibbin
Organizer
Panama City Beach, FL
