I’m excited to announce a very special event Hot Air will be participating in on June 26. Save the date. We’re teaming up with Melanie Morgan’s Move America Forward and UStream to present an 8-hour web-a-thon with the goal of sending the largest single shipment of care packages to U.S. troops in American history.

The effort kicks off on this Memorial Day and will run through the months of May and June.

The grand finale for the push will take place on June 26th with an 8-hour Internet telethon, “From the Frontlines.” I’ll join Melanie on the livestream, where we’ll feature live and taped reports from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan. We’ll also be joined by many pro-troops celebrities and leaders of grass-roots pro-military groups. Go to MAF for much more info.

Americans can sponsor the care packages from Move America Forward’s by ordering via this link from MAF’s online webstore partner: TheCampaignStore.com.

MAF notes:

The Jelly Belly candy company (maker of President Ronald Reagan’s favorite candy) has generously donated 100,000 bags of their gourmet jelly beans that will be included in the care packages to assist in the effort. While the jelly beans shipped in the past were warmly received by the troops, military members say their real value comes in being able to hand out the candy to the children of the war-torn nations in which they are serving. These 100,000 bags of gourmet jelly beans are now being used to launch a “Candy Diplomacy” program as gifts to Iraqi and Afghani children. Each bag is printed with the following message (in both English & Arabic): “A gift from the American people in hopes that your country will one day enjoy the freedom and opportunities that we have in the United States.”

Stay tuned as we roll out more details and be sure to get your orders in early and often!