Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 14, 1991 TAG: 9102150342
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Since Feb. 4, however, people have been trickling in and out of a former clothing store at 103 Lee Ave. from mid-morning until 10 p.m.
Two electric candles burn in the windows. And if some Roanoke Valley residents have their way, the candles will stay lit until the war ends.
The Roanoke Valley Troop Support Center is meant to be a gathering place for people who want to talk and exchange news about friends and relatives in the armed services, and is open to everyone, said Carolyn Rector, who came up with the idea for the project.
The main objective of the center, Rector said, is to collect the names and addresses of soldiers and to post them, along with photographs and the names of family members, where people can see them.
"It puts a face on the war," Rector said.
As of last week, there were 24 pictures lining the walls of the store. People come in looking for familiar faces, or just for someone to write to, Rector said. The center even provides stationery for anyone who would like to write a letter on the spot.
She got the idea for the center after she and a longtime friend, Vinton dentist Rick Svitzer, along with Ray Sandifer, who owns a downtown business, organized a rally to support the troops.
More than 400 people came to the Jan. 20 rally. That night, Rector said, she started thinking about what else she could do to help. She was disturbed by the fact that Svitzer's son, Todd, who is serving in Japan, had heard about anti-war demonstrations being held here and was bothered by it.
"It made me really mad," she said, "Everybody should know how those boys feel." So she decided to start the center.
With the help of Svitzer and Sandifer, she began to round up donors. The store is being loaned to the group by its owner, Morris Cundiff, who has a son in Saudi Arabia. Rector said he has agreed to let them have until it is rented.
Svitzer donated used furniture from his office, an electronics store gave the television set that dominates one corner of the room, and another is donating a VCR.
A group of former co-workers of volunteer Ruth Holley, who recently was laid off from her job at Signet Bank, put their own money together for an answering machine. They also plan to donate a typewriter.
The print shop next door gave the group bumper stickers, and others have donated a telephone and cable television service.
There also have been many offers of money to help with the electric bills, postage and other expenses. The Vinton Kroger store has donated coffee and snacks. Some people, such as Holley, whose son is serving on the USS Stark, have volunteered their time.
Others have brought razors, eyedrops and other toiletries to be forwarded to the troops.
"There has been so much interest, so much support," Svitzer said, but "our biggest need is for names and addresses of soldiers."
Rector said she hopes the center will help valley residents deal with the war.
"You feel so helpless," she said. "It's an anxiety outlet."
Although the support center is located in Vinton, Svitzer said, it is meant for everyone in the Roanoke Valley and beyond. In fact, Rector said, she and Svitzer live in Roanoke County.
The center is offering support not just for the soldiers in Saudi Arabia, Svitzer said, "we want to support all the troops," even the ones still in the States.
So far, the center has been busy, the organizers said. Forty-two people signed the guest book the second day the center was open. That night, Svitzer said, he came back from a meeting at 8:30 p.m. and found almost a dozen people there.
Center volunteers also hope to act as a clearinghouse for support rallies. They will help publicize the events and let callers know where and when they will be held.
Local ministers also have volunteered to train center personnel in counseling techniques. Already, a mother has come to the center looking for comfort. She cried as she read a letter from a son in Saudi Arabia.
The center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. An open house and rally will be held Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m.
by CNB