Tallahassee, FL – Rick Theilaball jokes that he is the financial advisor to the stars. But Wednesday he was a USO pitchman.Waddell and Reed is among the oldest and more successful mutual fund companies. Top
management decided to celebrate the firm's 70th anniversary by turning an 18 wheel semi trailer into a USO care package store and send it to 70 cities.
The care packages cost 25 dollars. They contain between 50 and 75 dollars worth of
requested items.
Care packages include things such as phone cards, sunscreen, bandanas, toiletries,
playing cards and apersonal note of thanks for the soldiers service and sacrifice.
The Waddell and Reed USO tour started in January in Kansas City and traveled across
the country to communities where Waddell and Reed has an office. The company expected to sale about 10 thousand packages but more than doubled the amount. Steve
Chakowski stopped at the Kiosk during his lunch hour Wednesday. He says if it wasn't
for an old football injury he would be serving the military today.
The Waddel and Reed sponsored care packages will be shipped overseas by the USO.
Since 2003, the USO has shipped more than sixty thousand boxes to troops in Iraq,
Afghanistan, South Korea and other oversea locations. According to an official spokesman. He added that the USO is not a government agency but a non profit charitable organization that depends on individuals and companies to provide services to soldiers and their families.