A Bit of Extra Change Can Have Untold Value

Ignatia House's operations coordinator, Marvin Talley, said the beauty of Dave's effort is that it allows veterans to widen the circle of places they're looking for work.

"We currently have two veterans that were able, because of the cards, to take [commercial driving] classes in Rockville," Marvin said. Another veteran commuted to Virginia to take his class, passed his exam, "and he's on the road as we speak."

E-mail Dave at fareshare@gmail.com for a list of the hotels that have his collection boxes. Or mail me your Farecards -- John Kelly, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 -- and I'll pass them on.

10 Years After

Speaking of Marines doing new and interesting things, I received an e-mail recently from one Eaton Dunkelberger, president of the Class of '96 at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Like many SGA types before him, Eaton realized that the price of looking good on college applications is a life spent planning reunions.

And just try doing it from Afghanistan, where Eaton has been living since leaving the U.S. Marine Corps two years ago. A combat leader in Iraq, he wanted to work in the private sector while helping development in a postwar zone. He set up a company in Kabul that distributes information to Afghans over cellphones.

As for the reunion, "Getting in touch with everyone has been a bit tricky," he wrote.

I e-mailed him back suggesting that perhaps he hold the reunion in Kabul.

He agreed that would be interesting, but noted, "I think with the liquor laws and exploding taxis out here, the reunion is best had in Bethesda where everyone can safely cab home after a fun evening!"

And so that's where it will be, at Caddies in Bethesda on Saturday. If you're a classmate, e-mail BCCclassof96@gmail.com. (More reunions are listed at http://www.washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.)

My e-mail: kellyj@washpost.com. Julia Feldmeier helped research this column.