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Any Soldier Needs 8,500 Friends

$100 to the good cause may buy you a mansion

Even in this bad-news market, a Calvert County home appraised at $835,000 on the block for just $100 sounds too good to be true.

But true it is — if you hold the winning $100 raffle ticket.

The house — on Leitches Wharf Road in Prince Frederick — is the grand prize in a raffle held by Any Soldier Inc. to raise money for their non-profit organization serving deployed U.S. soldiers.

The property — a 3,500-square-foot house and five-stall barn on almost eight acres with views of the Patuxent River — was donated to the charity by Steve and Natalie Skyrm.

“The Skyrms are long-time supporters of Any Soldier,” explains spokeswoman Christina Boblits. “They wanted to sell their house and are happy to sell it for what they still owe on it. We need to cover the existing mortgage. After that, all net proceeds will benefit Any Soldier.”

Any Soldier was organized in 2004 by Martin Horn and his son Brian. While Brian was deployed in Iraq, his parents routinely sent him care packages. Noticing there were many soldiers who weren’t as lucky, many who never received so much as a letter, Brian asked his parents to send care packages to “any soldier.”

“This simple family effort to help soldiers is how Any Soldier began,” says Boblits. “We are the conduit between soldiers and the public. Through our web site, the public is put in direct contact with soldiers who are in harm’s way. The soldiers tell these generous people exactly what they need — like letters, powdered drinks — real actual needs — and where to send it.”

Even that good cause is feeling the economic squeeze.

The raffle was scheduled for Veteran’s Day. But slow ticket sales — fewer than 500 have been sold — has postponed the drawing until January 15.

“We must sell at least 9,000 tickets for the house raffle to be successful,” Boblits says.

“We know times are tough for everyone,” says Boblits. “But these soldiers are still fighting. Nothing has changed for them. And we need to support them.”

Tickets at www.AnySoldierHouseRaffle.com.

–Margaret Tearman

A New Era Dawns

After Donovan’s 25 Years, Chesapeake Beach Elects Mayor Wahl

As the nation waited to see who we’d elected president, Chesapeake Beach candidates and loyalists sweated out the counting of absentee ballots on the way to naming a new mayor and town council. An hour before Barack Obama was projected America’s 44th president, long-time town councilman Bruce Wahl was proclaimed the first new mayor of the Bayfront town in a quarter-century.

Of 1,600 votes cast, Wahl took 671, winning with 42 percent of the vote. His four opponents ranged from 40 votes (D.F. ‘Bart” Bartholomew) to 521 (Jeffrey Krahling). Two write-in candidates got one vote each.

Chesapeake Beach voters could have hired a whole new town government. Long-time mayor Gerald Donovan retired, and 12 candidates were running for town council.

But citizens preferred a base of stability. They rehired three of the four council members running for reelection: Valerie Beaudin (749 votes), Stewart Cumbo (1,059 votes) and Patrick Mahoney (1,158 votes).

Newcomers Bob Carpenter (999), Ingrid Lamb (679) and Julie Spano (781) joined the council.

The new government will be sworn in at the November 20 town council meeting.

–Sandra Olivetti Martin

Fleet Feet Help Light House Shelter

An oval decal on your car can win you prizes and help the needy

Here’s another way to do well by doing good. Fleet Feet Sports is selling stickers to raise money for the capital city’s Light House Shelter. With each sticker comes the chance to win prizes donated by Anne Arundel County merchants, including Café Normandie, the Wild Orchid Café, Even Keel, Old Stein Inn, Westfield Shopping Town, Federal House and Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre.

To win, post your oval decal on your car and drive. Once a month, Fleet Feet prize patrollers match a decaled vehicle, and its owner, with a prize.

Buy your decal ($1.50) at Fleet Feet, at the base of the Eastport Bridge: www.fleetfeetannapolis.com.

–Diana Beechener

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