Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for June 30, 2003

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, June 30, 2003 | 8:17 a.m.

Holiday honors

Anyone who has traveled abroad during a distinctly American holiday knows traditional celebrations can be tough if not impossible to come by.

So as you're pondering this Independence Day whether to put relish and onions on your hot dog, remember there are scores of servicemen and women overseas sacrificing for this great nation, instead of whooping it up at backyard barbecues like the rest of us.

Better yet, express your gratitude to those military members by sending a care package built by Denver-based Treats For Troops. Through the company's Foster-A-Soldier program, gifts can be sent to specific servicepeople, as well as random soldiers.

Following the attacks of 9-11, the U.S. government put the brakes on programs that presented packages addressed to "Any Soldier." Nevertheless Deborah Crane, a military mom and Treats for Troops' owner, marched forward with her plan to allow Americans to send "boodle" (soldier slang for packages from the homefront) to those serving our country.

Some of the gift packages featured on treatsfortroops.com cost less than $10. Themed boxes boast such names as "Snack Attack" (includes sunflower seeds, potato chips and other goodies, $19.95) and "Sweet Dreams" (Sleepytime tea bags, cookies and an inflatable pillow, $34.95). Individual items bungee cords, note pads, Ziploc bags, hand cream and brownies, among others are also available to create personalized packages.

Worth writing home about

Sure, you could put one of those dangerous, sparkling fireworks in Junior's hand this Fourth of July. But that's not a very smart idea.

Here's one that is: Drop the sparkler and give the young lad (or lass, as the case may be) a pencil and have him or her whip up a composition to enter in SOS Children's Villages' first "Family Homecoming" essay contest.

Washington, D.C.-based SOS, which bills itself as "the world's largest non-governmental child welfare organization," provides homes for more than 50,000 orphaned and abandoned children in 131 countries, so that youngsters may have parents, siblings and a place to call home. The group's celebrity spokeswoman is Paige Davis, host of the hit show, "Trading Spaces," on cable's The Learning Channel (Cox cable channel 38).

For the essay contest, which kicks off Friday, kids ages 8-16 should pen no more than 100 words "about their family, why they feel safe at home, and what's special about their community." A national winner, to be named Sept. 1 (Labor Day, for those without calendars), will win a home computer. Essays including the writer's name, address and phone number are due by Aug. 1 to SOSessays@ tds.net.

Pyro precautions

Still thinking about those hot dog condiments we mentioned earlier? Who could blame you? There's no day like July Fourth to fire up the grill.

Much like fireworks, it's important to be safe and sane when working with and around a grill. That's the message being spread again this (and every) summer by the experts at Underwriters Laboratories Inc. and the National Safety Council. Here are a few of their redundant-but-always-important tips: