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Ray And Cheri Archibald’s Project Rudolph Brightens Soldiers’ Holidays
Ray Archibald shows hundreds of donated flat ornaments, while his home. wife, Cheri, is like Mrs. Claus as she inventories candy boxes. (Photos by The workshop is a donated semi-truck trailer brimming with boxes of Dianna Troyer) candy and plastic bins filled with colorful flat ornaments and hand-written
By Dianna Troyer The spirit of Christmas giving never quits at Ray and Cheri Archibald’s home in Oakley. As directors of the non-profit Project Rudolph, the Archibalds maintain a year-round Santa’s workshop for soldiers next to their
letters that are sent to thousands of soldiers worldwide for Christmas. “We never know what donations we’ll find in our mailbox or at our doorstep all year long,” says Cheri. “We’ve had gifts from all 50 states and 14 foreign countries. After Project Rudolph started, we outgrew our house and a storage shed, so we’re grateful Handy Trucking donated the trailer.” The Archibalds are unpaid volunteers and fit Project Rudolph in between their part-time jobs. Ray, 63, retired from a local phone company and drives truck during harvests or helps with home remodeling. Cheri, 62, teaches piano, works at a bookstore, and is a substitute teacher. Since Project Rudolph was launched in 2006, the Archibalds and hundreds of volunteers from throughout Minidoka and Cassia counties have shipped more than 50,000 gift bags. Each hand-decorated paper lunch bag is packed with a flat ornament, a candy cane, a copy of the poem A Soldier’s Christmas, and handwritten letters from a child, a youth, and an adult. The bags have been sent to soldiers in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Korea. Last year, 8,400 gift bags were mailed. “Soldiers have said they like our gift bags because they’re homemade and individualized,” says Cheri. “We try to ship to those who are sometimes forgotten, like small forward operating bases overseas and the mortuary (Continued on page 42) unit in Dover, Delaware.”