Teen brought cheer to soldiers overseas.

Byline: Profile by The Register-Guard

Name: Caitlyn Tendick, 13, of Pleasant Hill

Family: She lives with parents Dale and Francine, brother Zachary, 17, two dogs and two cats. An older sister, Ashley, lives in Portland.

Claim to fame: Swimming, singing, dancing and acting, mostly at the Spotlight Theatre, a nonprofit youth group in Pleasant Hill. She's had roles in "Annie," Wizard of Oz" and "Stagestruck" so far. She recently made her mark by engineering a card-writing campaign to U.S. soldiers serving in the Middle East at Christmastime - and got a letter back.

Why she did it: Partly to satisfy a project requirement at Pleasant Hill Junior High School, where she's a seventh-grader, but mostly "because I thought it would be nice to do something for soldiers who work so hard for us. I thought they needed something for Christmas."

What she did: Bought a bunch of Christmas cards and enlisted the help of friends to write a letter in each one. They sent off a packet of 31 cards to a general military address she got from a family friend whose son had just returned from a stint in Afghanistan. "We said things like, 'We're glad you're doing this for us, we all feel safe, have a good holiday, everyone here's rooting for you.' ' After that, she "didn't think too much about it" but didn't really expect to receive any responses.

What happened next: A letter came back, bearing the name of Sgt. Billie R. Boots II. "I must say, the fact that so many of America's young men and women really care about the men I serve with, brought a tear to my eyes," Boots wrote. "I realized my purpose for being here. I am here to ensure the safety and opportunity for our youth. They are truly our future and we must be prepared to sacrifice whatever we have to in order to protect that." His letter brought tears to several eyes, too, including those of Caitlyn's mother and teachers at the school.

What she learned: "That maybe no matter who you are and where you are, it's always nice to be thought of."

- Randi Bjornstad

Got an idea? If you know someone who would make a great subject for a Register-Guard "Profile," send it to Lloyd Paseman at [e-mail] or P.O. Box 10188, Eugene OR 97440.

CAPTION(S):

BRIAN DAVIES / The Register-Guard Caitlyn Tendick displays the letter she received from an army sergeant in Kuwait in response to a letter-writing drive she organized.