OCJ Ability Magazine Article

OCJ Ability Magazine Article

One Father, One Mission, One Operation Cuppa Joe…

You may grumble that you can’t sleep a full eight hours, but they have to stay awake for days on end. You may complain that your meal doesn’t taste right, but they may not be able to eat. You may get irritated by your boss for holding you overtime, but they may be held an extra 3 months. You may be annoyed by your friends and family, but they may never see theirs again. You may catch a cold and decide to lie in bed all day, but they may catch a bullet and have to continue to stay strong. You may be disturbed by a neighbor’s loud music, but they have to hear the sounds of explosives and the screams and pains of the wounded. A soldier’s life is no easy task, but they continue to fight for our country and their lives…and as David Cook, a southern Californian father shows, a little support goes a long way.

The son of a civilian base accountant and a retail brand developer by profession, Cook has spent much of his childhood on military bases. He has seen it all, “the wounded and the casualties of war.” He’s met soldiers with post-traumatic stress to those with severe burns, lost limbs, loss of senses, and traumatic brain injuries. Witnessing our men and women place the battle lines on their lives and their lives on the line, Cook explains that the least he can do is show his support to our troops and wounded warriors through volunteerism.

 

The life of a soldier is difficult for themselves and their families. Loved ones are separated. Combat experiences are unimaginable and un-relatable by civilians. The healing process can be extensive and consequently expensive. A different picture is painted to what’s at home.

 

Think about it…what happens if you feel sick or injured? Usually, you’ll see a local physician, be treated, and sent home. If instructed to remain overnight, your friends and family can visit you bedside and bring any comfort goods you request.

 

However, if injured in combat, if not pushed to continue to move forward, warriors are forced to evacuate and rushed to a military hospital. They leave behind everything… clothes, toiletries, and personal goods (assuming they’re not destroyed). Lacking the basic necessities, one’s obligated to repurchase them out of pocket.

 

Furthermore, due to the consolidation of military hospitals, soldiers’ support systems, their families, are left at a distance to travel. Incapable of affording the travel expenses to stay bedside of their wounded loved ones as they undergo surgeries and/or rehabs, many are left alone to heal or “required to deplete their savings or tax their family’s financial resources.”

 

Determined to help, Cook contacted major corporations and inquired about donations. His efforts succeeded. He’s gathered air fare, hotel stay, petty cash, gift cards, cell phone cards, apparel, shoes, and other basic items needed to provide these wounded warriors with family and community support.

 

Following their father’s footsteps, Leyla and Kaya Cook also have volunteered in support of the troops and run the middle school and high school programs. As a result of their gestures, Cook states that a new passion, dedication, and self-respect developed in the children. Observing the positive influence of volunteerism on the kids and experiencing the great impact that the slightest display of support, such as donating a cup of coffee, has on the troops…Cook created Operation Cuppa Joe (OCJ), a program providing troop support and empowers students and builds character, loyalty, respect, selfless service, integrity and personal courage through student Troop support services helping all military branches stateside and abroad.

 

Cook reaches out and registers schools and students to volunteer for OCJ. Once registered, he educates, empowers, and enlightens staff and students to create “The Student Troop Support Club (Project Soldier)”, a school club where students volunteer, collect, donate, and distribute care packages to our troops. He further meets with counselors and teachers to allocate space, time, supervision, and storage for the care packages. Students meet once a week and willingly put in extra time after school to work together as a team to plan, organize, and execute their mission. Each student is further registered into the Presidential Service Award Program, where they can log, track, and certify their volunteer hours to receive Presidential recognition.

 

When asked about why the students volunteer, Cook explains that the number one motivator for the students is helping the troops, second is the positive reinforcement received, and third is the recognition received from the White House and The President’s Council On Service And Civic Participation through the Presidential Service Award.

 

Moreover, volunteerism creates solidarity and a common ground for the students. From those who are bullied to those who are considered to bully…from the extroverts to the introverts…when it’s time to volunteer, they place their difference aside and work together towards a common goal. The students know they can make a difference. Cook shares that those who have experienced “the same traumas… from surgeries, to rehab, to multiple hospital stays, isolation, public ridicule, being removed from friends and families for long periods of time…are more engaged with them on all levels as they have had similar plights.”

 

The core of OCJ is the OCJ Wounded Warrior Support program. The program helps bases, injured military, and their families receive care packages comprised with the necessities they lack and the opportunity to reunite families.  Cook’s goal is to distribute over one million care packages with student volunteers to support US Troops stateside and abroad.  With the fortitude of one father, Cook and has program have donated 13,000 packages so far.

 

He may be one man, but he reaches many. He describes that regardless of one’s strength, time, or life challenges, one can make all the difference. A single act can grow exponentially. Speaking to one teacher can result in 200 students signing up to volunteer. Working with 200 students, who are surrounded by peers and friends, can lead to reaching an additional 1500 to 2500 students and 12,000 family members, 200,000 family friends, and 800,000 of their connections. “It all just starts with one person to make a difference.”

 

As Sergeant First Class Mark Doran said, “morale was boosted by not only receiving wanted and needed items but simply because I knew that someone on the other side of that package cared about me.” Sergeant First Class Mark Doran further writes, “Your gifts…are reminders of home that engender warmth, camaraderie and nostalgia. They remind us of who and what we love and what we are fighting for; our friends, our families, our countrymen.”

 

Greeting cards additionally play a major role in the psychological well-being and recovery of our troops. Recipients feel acknowledged, appreciated, and accepted knowing that they haven’t been forgotten, thus boosting their self-confidence, esteem, and respect.

 

To increase card donations to the troops and wounded warriors, Cook recently contacted Hallmark inquiring to see if they would donate cards. Hallmark agreed and donated 35,000 cards from their Sunrise Greeting division, featuring abandoned pets with a neutral holiday theme. Currently, he has had 25,000 cards signed and subsequently has applied with Guinness World Records to attempt to make the world record in the most greeting cards signed in a single hour. Cook is waiting on Guinness World Records to schedule the attempt date.

David Cook is a determined father wanting to make a difference. He’s a passionate man who has witnessed the benefits of volunteering on all sides involved. He’s on a mission to reach 87,000,000 students nationwide and brew up a cup of his student volunteer program to support our troops, wounded warriors, and their families.

 

By Mary Shafizadeh

To learn more about Operation Cuppa Joe, visit http://operationcuppajoe.com/.