- Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 September 2020 14:24
By Lois Thomson
"Who is going to buy used jewelry?" asked Kathie Gasior's son, when he learned about his mother's idea to have a fundraiser for Operation Troop Appreciation that involved selling donated jewelry.
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| Kathie Gasior of Operation Troop Appreciation reviews some of the jewelry donations for the upcoming sale. |
Who is going to buy? His mother soon found out that the answer is, a lot of people.
Gasior has been volunteering with OTA for 15 years, and this is the seventh year for the jewelry sale. Set for November 6 and 7 — always the weekend before Veterans' Day – the event will be held at South Park Community Center, behind the South Park Library. She said people have been calling to ask if the sale is still on, and the answer is yes.
Gasior, chairperson of the event, and her two right-hand ladies, Vicki Robb and Janet Landa – along with other volunteers – take care of all preparations. Gasior handles the pricing, describing it as "5 4-3-2-1," as everything is priced from $5 to $1. She makes her determinations by the initial value and quality of the items, and whether or not they are name brands. All jewelry is checked to make sure it is clean and in good shape; broken pieces or ones with missing stones are put into separate bags and sold as items for craft use.
The first year brought in $1,300 for the organization, and Gasior said the total jewelry sales have raised more than $60,000 so far. She is hoping to top $10,000 this year; the sale is one of OTA's most important fundraisers, and this one is particularly vital as other events had to be canceled because of the pandemic. The money is used to purchase items for overseas troops, mainly in Afghanistan and the Middle East. "We help those who are deployed and in imminent danger," she said. "The commanding officer or the chaplain must make the request, and we send them what they need." OTA also assists displaced veterans who have returned home.
Gasior emphasized that everyone involved with OTA is a volunteer, including the president. "It's nice to know we still have people who love our soldiers and love our country," she said. "We're so grateful we have people who serve, and this is our way of saying thank you."
