On April 9, Tina Vasquez was one of 19 educational staff and community members honored at the Plainfield School District 202 board’s 34th annual Awards of Excellence ceremony in Plainfield.

Vasquez, a paraprofessional at Bonnie McBeth Learning Center in District 202, has organized districtwide collection drives of candy, cookies and toiletries to support military members stationed overseas, said Glenn Wood, superintendent of District 202.

“If you’ve ever met Tina, she is just really patient when she works with our kids, just a kind person,” Wood said. “And she’s a great example of somebody who saw a need and has done the work to fill it.”

Vasquez said her inspiration came from a combination of her son’s active-duty status and a text from a co-worker saying her daughter was selling Girl Scout cookies.

That led Vasquez to the idea of starting a district-wide initiative of buying Girl Scout cookies to donate to the United Service Organizations at O’Hare International Airport and the USO Midway Center, both in Chicago.

“They could grab a box of cookies while they were traveling on their flight,” Vasquez said.

District 202 collected 500 boxes the first year, 2,000 the second and then “it just became huge,” Vasquez said.

Those 2,000 boxes of cookies were delivered to the Illinois National Guard in Joliet, a military office in Aurora and the USO rooms at O’Hare and Midway airports, District 202 said on Facebook on March 16, 2023.

“By donating, these soldiers will feel our gratitude, support and constant care for all that they do for us and our freedom,” Vasquez said in 2023.

Vasquez said that in early 2022, she had suggested her idea of collecting Girl Scout cookies to Tom Hernandez, then District 202’s director of community relations, who loved the idea.

Wood said after Vasquez shared her “flicker of an idea” to Hernandez, they brought the Cookies for Troops suggestion to Wood, who also loved her idea.

The initiative has since expanded to all 31 schools. Vasquez also started a Veterans Day party and parade at Bonnie McBeth, Wood said.

“She’ll have a veteran reach to the kids, too,” Wood said. “And that really ties into what she’s trying to do with our students. She’s trying to connect them to military personnel to understand the value and contribution they made to our community. And that we have a great day to celebrate them.”

Vasquez said a 90-year-old great-grandfather of one of the students walked the parade with them one year.

“It brings so much joy for us to see how much these veterans appreciate being recognized and remembered. It makes my heart happy,” Vasquez said. “Our goal is to let our little ones know, ‘You guys are our heroes, and we honor you.’”

Vasquez said she’s worked with other organizations and big-box stores to donate items to a veterans hospital and to ship items all over the world to those actively serving. One company even provided lunch for her son’s unit, she said.

“Being a military mama, I’ve heard so many stories,” Vasquez said. “Some joined [the military] because they thought they could get a better life than what they were experiencing at home; they never received anything. And they just love to hear how supportive and appreciative we are for their service for our freedom. That’s my goal, to bring awareness.”

Vasquez will now walk in the next Plainfield Homecoming Day parade with veterans associated with District 202, which “is really a big deal to us,” Wood said.

“This is just a great example of someone who had an idea and followed it through to completion,” Wood said.