STURBRIDGE OFFICE PARK, FISKDALE, MA - In November 2010, employees of All Star Incentive Marketing participated in "Operation Upgrade," an initiative to welcome returning U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan with a comfortable stay in their home barracks at Fort Hood, Texas.

The goal of Operation Upgrade is to welcome every returning soldier in the Army’s 20^th Engineer Battalion, currently deployed in Kandahar, with personal amenities including wash cloth, bath towel, shower curtain, shower mat and toiletries. They aim to outfit each barracks room with sheets, pillow case, pillow, blanket, garbage can, paper/plastic plates, utensils, cups and personal snacks and soft drinks. The Battalion expects 200 soldiers will stay in these barracks for several weeks upon their return. 

All Star employees, organized by Ashlee Haag, sister of a soldier with the 20^th, and All Star’s Social Responsibility Team leader, quickly mobilized and delivered seven boxes of supplies to the Operation. Donated items included pillows, sheet sets, bath towels, shower curtains, shower liners, hand towels, wash cloths, bathmats, blankets and plenty of snacks.  The effort symbolizes All Star’s vision of corporate responsibility, which is that when people are healthy, trusted, supported and meaningfully engaged, they are empowered to make their best contributions.

The 20^th Engineer Battalion has been serving in southern Afghanistan since January 2010, and they are at the halfway point of their deployment. On a dangerous mission to defuse roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices, the Battalion has lost 13 combat engineers in 8 months. They also survived the shooting at Fort Hood, which left 13 of their soldiers dead and 43 injured.

All Star Incentive Marketing is committed to helping businesses grow and thrive by engaging, motivating and rewarding the people behind their success. They do this by developing, implementing and managing powerful incentive and engagement programs that drive customer loyalty, employee motivation, sales, safety, and wellness. With a combination of proprietary technology, superior program management, outstanding customer service, unparalleled product sourcing and fulfillment capabilities, All Star maintains leadership in the incentive industry by helping clients exceed their business objectives and achieve a positive return on incentive investment (ROI²).  To learn more about All Star Incentive Marketing visit www.incentiveusa.com.