Mormon military mom makes serving country a cooler job

Editor's note: There are many who quietly serve in their communities without fanfare or accolades. Mormon Times asked for suggestions of people who have holiday service traditions to share their stories. Here is the first of what will be two per day this week.

Thanks to the efforts of military mom Karen Jackson, U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and various countries in Africa received more than 2,200 neck coolers last year.

\"It's part of the Support Our Troops effort through West Point,\" said Jackson, 56. \"I have a son (in the military). I knew I wanted to do something to help.\"

Jackson realized her love for and talent with sewing could make a difference. \"Unless you're a seamstress, doing projects that involve any kind of sewing can be difficult or time-consuming. I knew I could (sew) and produce the neck coolers quickly.\"

In 2008, members of Jackson's ward in Gig Harbor, Wash., assisted her in making the 2,200 neck coolers. Now Relief Society sisters in Jackson's current ward in Foothill Ranch, Calif., will be helping produce neck coolers as a holiday service project.

__IMAGE1__\"We're starting out on a smaller scale at this point, trying to get up the enthusiasm so there will be more people helping out,\" Jackson said. \"We're going to finish up the ones we're working on, but also try and make it an ongoing project.\"

Making the neck coolers is fairly simple, according to Jackson. Three-and-a-half-inch strips of fabric are sewn into a tube shape with little pockets that can be filled with water-absorbing crystals. When a neck cooler is soaked in water, it expands and the pockets fill up. The fabric dries, but the crystals stay cold and moist.

They can be applied to both the neck and the head. One neck cooler can be worn for two or three days before needing to be soaked in water again. They last for about three months.

Jackson related how she was able to send 1,800 to a young woman in Afghanistan who drives a convoy up and down the battle line, distributing mail; she was able to likewise distribute the neck coolers to soldiers facing the intense dryness and heat.

\"I rarely get e-mails back from the soldiers themselves,\" Jackson shared. \"But we get e-mails from their parents saying 'thank you, thank you.'\"

Jackson was moved by a couple of pictures of soldiers wearing the neck coolers that she was able to view through a Web site for military families.

\"It's important to remember that even if the conflicts in the Middle East are resolved, we will still have soldiers stationed in hot places all over the world,\" Jackson said. \"The neck coolers are always going to be useful. We're going to keep the project going for as long as we can.\"

E-mail: eschmuhl@desnews.com