Nursing student offers strength for soldiers overseas
By Hamilton Richardson
Progress staff writerSoldiers who serve the country overseas often deal with loneliness and discouragement, having become detached from family members for long periods of time.
Those servicemen and women who come from the local area, however, now have an advocate who has dedicated herself to help them with some of those difficulties.
Audra Mickle, who grew up in Prattville and whose family still lives in the area, recently embarked on a journey to help make the lives of those serving overseas a little brighter.
"One of my closest friends, Doug Orr, came up to me one Sunday at church and said he was shipping out in five weeks, and that he would be gone for nine months," Mickle said.
Orr was a chaplain in the Navy and was heading out in early January for an undisclosed location overseas. Orr told Mickle and the congregation of Verbena United Methodist Church that he wanted their support in providing devotional books to other deployed solders.
"I was part of that congregation that morning and I knew that Doug was right and that I had to do something," Mickle said. "I sat down and decided that I was going to start a nonprofit organization and raise money for the devotional books and try and help assist deployed chaplains."
The book Orr recommended was called "Strength for Service to God and Country" and included devotional readings from the 1940s. The book is waterproof and tear-resistant and includes 365 devotions by leading protestant ministers in 1942. There are also 40 other contributions from Roman Catholic clergy and African-American church leaders.
Mickle had no idea however how hard it would be to start a non-profit organization and do all that it would take to make it work.
"I was at the bank every day for two weeks," Mickle joked. "I had to call the IRS and I'm not a tax accountant. The idea was a solid one but little did I know what I was getting myself into."
Mickle eventually did get her nonprofit organization, which she named Strength for Soldiers, off the ground. Her efforts included the establishment of a board of directors, which includes herself, her mother, Doug Orr, and an accountant, David Bowen. Mickle was even able to send out her first shipment of devotionals.
"It's a big deal. It was only about 10 books," she said. "We sent them to California to Doug's mailing address to be forwarded. Doug will hand them out to other chaplains to be used for the soldiers."
Cokesbury, which is the retail division of The United Methodist Publishing House, has agreed to sell Mickle's organization the devotional books for $5 each with a further discount for large orders.
Mickle is now trying to establish connections with churches, businesses, and other organizations to seek further funding for her efforts. She also plans to contact state representatives and even the governor's office as well as local Christian groups.
"Some churches have been receptive. I thought about talking with clubs at the high schools," Mickle said.
Mickle, as well as heading up her new nonprofit, also plans to become a registered nurse and do medical mission work in Africa. She is currently in her first semester of nursing school at Troy University.
Student, 19, helps troops with books
BY JENN ROWELL • APRIL 10, 2009 Audra Mickle's friend told her he was deploying, and she wanted to help.
Lt. Doug Orr, a Navy Reserve chaplain and a pastor at a church in Verbena, asked his congregation to support the troops while he was away.
"I thought I could do something, too," Mickle said.
Before he left, Orr told his congregation at Verbena United Methodist Church that he and the other Navy chaplains he was deploying with had agreed on a non-denominational devotion book called "Strength For Service to God and Country."
They had decided they would distribute the books to troops and use them in services.
She didn't really know what she was doing at first, but with a little help from her mom and a few others, she set up a nonprofit group called Strength for Soldiers.
Mickle, 19, is a nursing student at Troy University in Troy, but in her limited free time, she raises money to send devotion books and other needed items to Orr.
"It's a huge priority for me," she said.
Mickle's father was deployed while she was in junior high , but she said she didn't really understand it as much then.
Now, she wants to support her military friend and what he wants is for people to support the troops.
One reason is because she knows he was there to support her.
The Prattville native was diagnosed with cancer in high school, and Orr was the first person, other than her parents, that she told.
"That was my motivation, to help him out since he helped me out," she said.
She started her project in December and has sent 50 books to Orr, who's at an undisclosed location. Her longtime friend will be back in September, but she plans to continue raising money and sending the devotion books.
Mickle set up her nonprofit with the Internal Revenue Service and opened a bank account for the organization. Then she contacted Cokesbury, a Christian bookstore in Birmingham, and the company agreed to sell her the devotion books for $5 each.
She's raising money through local churches, business and individual donors.
Mickle said a flat-rate box from the U.S. Postal Service costs $13.15. For $150.65, she can buy and ship 25 devotion books. For $288.15, she can send 50 books; for $563.15, she can send 100.
Want to HELP?
Send Checks to:
Strength for Soldiers
209 Sweet Briar Lane
Prattville, AL 36067
Strengthforsoldiers@gmail.com
