Even bad weather couldn’t stop the 1LT Dennis W. Zilinski II ’04 Memorial Fund’s holiday celebration at Pemberton Early Childhood Education Center earlier this week. And that’s a good thing.
The event, held each year in honor of 1LT Dennis W. Zilinski II, who was killed in Iraq in 2005, serves to honor his memory and to provide gifts for children of deployed soldiers. Marion Zilinski, co-founder and board member of the Zilinski Memorial Fund and Dennis’ mother, was pleased to see the group was able to hold its annual event.
“The internet and phone lines were down at this school, and another school in the district is closed due to the weather, but here we are with so many families and children celebrating the holidays — all of you deserve to be celebrated after all,” she told the crowd.
“These kids give so much to the citizens of the United States by giving up their moms and dads, and we are indebted to you all. We want these children and spouses to know how much we appreciate their sacrifice. When a mom or dad is deployed, it’s hard on the families left to pick up all the pieces at home. We are happy to make their holidays a little brighter.”
