The American Legion Auxiliary will hold a spaghetti dinner on Saturday, Aug. 25. The women of the auxiliary said they want to honor Sherry Carney’s legacy by funding “Singing for the Soldiers,” which she established to help soldiers overseas.
Although Carney died last February, her legacy of giving to U.S. troops will live on in the many dedicated people she has rallied behind her cause.
Carney began her mission when her brother-in-law, Army Captain Mike McCawley, was deployed to Iraq in 2006. She started a campaign to solicit donations for the provisions to set up a coffee shop for soldiers in his outfit so they would have a place to drink coffee and relax. Her mission snowballed into sending not just coffee, but snacks and personal items to Iraq and then Afghanistan. Children in  local schools have written letters of encouragement that have been enclosed with the provisions.
Carney has rallied many organizations in addition to the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary to give funds to further this project. In 2008, she first began “Singing for the Soldiers.” Hundreds of people gather on Memorial Day in Veterans Park in Columbus. Amid the gospel music and food, people donate items that will be shipped overseas.
With the proceeds from the spaghetti supper in August, the Legion Auxiliary plans to help continue the traditions that Carney has begun.
Tickets are available at Cowan’s Hardware and at the Seventh Day Adventist Church; they will also be available at the door. Everyone is welcome to eat in or take out the spaghetti and desserts.
– article submitted by Cindy Worrall