As Joey Herman prepares to head off to college next year, he knows many students his age will be heading overseas to join the military.

``As a student growing up in this world it would be hard not to notice what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and all the young people that serve our country over there,'' said the 17-year-old senior at Cypress Bay High School in Weston.

Joey said he wants to do something for U.S. soldiers, so he has launched a nonprofit organization called the ``Thanks-4-Giving Foundation,'' which aims to help Americans express their gratitude for the service and sacrifice of members of the military.

``The entire foundation is based on letting these soldiers know we are so thankful for the courage and bravery they display,'' Joey said.

The project revolves around camouflage rubber bracelets that say ``Courage'' on one side and ``Thanks for Giving'' on the other. Joey is hoping residents buy the bracelets as a gift to anyone serving in the military. The bracelets are $5 each; you buy one to keep and a second one is sent to a soldier. The USO will distribute the bracelets overseas.

The idea is for civilians to send a handwritten ``note of gratitude'' with each bracelet they purchase. Joey, who plans to study political science and law but hasn't yet decided what college he'll be attending, said people have been eager to have a way to show their support for the troops.

``They may appreciate what's going on over there, but they don't have a mechanism to express that and this lets them do that,'' he said.

Joey began looking for a way to get involved after hearing about the experiences of older sister Jessica, who volunteered with the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit group that honors and empowers wounded veterans. Everyday she would tell him about young soldiers with missing limbs, or suffering other devastating injuries. He realized many of them were right out of high school.

``Some of these soldiers are only a year older than I am,'' Joey said. ``While I am taking my SATs and preparing to go to college next year, other kids are preparing to go off to war and risk their lives so I can have an education and so that our country can prosper.''

He dug into his savings, and with the help of his parents, Fred and Minette, launched the project. Joey created 3,000 bracelets, and has already sold 400. All proceeds will go toward the Wounded Warrior Organization and the USO, a private, nonprofit organization that supports troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services. Joey is planning to send his first batch of bracelets to troops overseas, with the help of the USO, just before Thanksgiving.

His mission is for every member of the service to have a bracelet.

``By buying a bracelet, you are not helping me,'' Joey said. ``You are letting the people that fight for us every day and put their lives on the line know we care about them and are thankful for what they are doing.''

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