BUCYRUS — A Wynford High School senior is using her senior project as an opportunity to serve those who serve our country.

Paige Rex thought she hit a roadblock when HIPAA laws kept her from completing a project focused around her chosen career, a goal of the senior project, as an EMT, but it opened an opportunity for her to help men and women in the U.S. military stationed overseas.

“I want to make them feel more at home when they can’t be and want to be and when they’re missing home,” Paige said. “I want to give them something that is a little more home-like.”

She received first-hand knowledge of what to ask for in donations from her parents’ friend who is a military veteran. Paige said he told her about items he wished he would have had while deployed overseas.

Paige said she did online research to find what could and could not be sent. She said items such as homemade baked goods cannot be sent in the care packages. Local post offices also offer assistance with what may be sent, and they are the method the care packages are sent.

Requests were made to various businesses for donations to the cause.

“I’m starting to get responses from them, so I will be making a lot of ‘Thank you’ cards,” Paige said with a smile.

She soon will visit a local recruiting office.

“They’ll be able to help me find an area that may be in more need than another,” Paige said.

Paige will write a 10-12-page paper on the project, create a portfolio and then present the project to a board of teachers.

She said she thinks the academic portion of the project will be successful, as the teachers involved do not approve the student to complete the project unless the they believe the student can be successful.

“I want people to know, I just want to help people,” Paige said. “This isn’t about me. It’s about getting to help other people.”

She hopes to have everything collected by Feb. 14 with a ship-out date on Feb. 22.

Items may be dropped off at the Wynford High School office during the school day or Bull Pen Auction in Nevada, which is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

A list of requested items includes:

  • Baby wipes
  • Batteries (AA or AAA)
  • Travel size deodorant
  • Individual serving drink mix
  • Gum
  • Hand warmers
  • Lip balm
  • Mechanical pencils
  • Playing cards
  • Travel size baby powder
  • Puzzle books (7″x10″)
  • Travel size sewing kit
  • Black crew length socks
  • Non-aerosol sunscreen
  • Snacks-individually wrapped (Jerky, Slim Jims, Dense and dry baked goods)
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Nuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Trail mix