CLEVELAND , Tennessee ( CNN ) -- At 14 , while attending the U.S . Naval Sea Cadet camp in Florida , Kaylee Marie Radzyminski asked one question to troops returning from overseas military service . Their simple answer spurred the small-town teen into action . Kaylee Marie Radzyminski , center in black shirt , spends her Saturdays sorting CDs and DVDs for troops overseas . `` I asked , 'What was the number one thing they missed ? ' `` recalls Radzyminski . `` The first thing was , of course , their families . But second to that was entertainment . '' They described limited access to Internet and satellite service , with some soldiers sharing just a few DVDs or CDs with an entire unit . So Radzyminski returned home and gathered her CDs and DVDs to send to the troops . What started as an individual project at home is now 16-year-old Radzyminski 's nationwide nonprofit , Tunes 4 the Troops . Since 2005 , she and volunteers have organized the collection and delivery of more than 200,000 CDs and DVDs to deployed service members around the world . `` My mission is not about supporting or opposing the war , it 's about supporting the troops , '' says Radzyminski , whose own family has a military background . `` They sacrifice so much for us , why ca n't I do a little bit to give back to them ? '' Reaching out to friends , classmates and community members for donated discs of all kinds , Radzyminski 's own community joined her cause . She made disc donations easy by placing Tunes 4 the Troops collection boxes at football games , churches , neighborhood events , and community centers . Her own Cleveland High School helped out by setting up an account for the school 's management of financial donations -- for disc purchases , packing supplies , and shipping costs . `` It first started with my collection , then my friends chipped in with their music and movies , and it just spread and spread through my community -- and now , nationwide , '' says Radzyminski . `` It 's great to see the amount of people that care . '' When she receives a CD or DVD , Radzyminski first sends a hand-written `` thank you '' to the donor . Then she separates all discs into genres and combs through them to ensure there is no explicit , burned or copied material . Each disc to be sent is branded with a Tunes 4 the Troops sticker , which allows a soldier who has never heard of her organization to request more items . `` That way , if they get sent to a unit , and then that unit gives it to another unit , that unit can always request a box , '' explains Radzyminski . Watch Radzyminski explain the way she and volunteers support troops overseas » . Each Saturday , the teen tapes , wraps and labels boxes before spending about two hours at the post office . Radzyminski originally stored donations and materials in her home , but in 2006 , her local Home Depot donated a small shed for Tunes 4 the Troops operations . Today , the organization has about 200 satellite locations across the United States and has collected more than $ 3 million worth of donations . They also hold yearly Outback Steakhouse fundraisers , which have grossed close to $ 5,000 for each of the past two years . Watch Radzyminski describe the rewards of bringing entertainment to U.S. soldiers overseas » . In addition to Tunes 4 the Troops , Radzyminski also runs track , maintains a 4.0 GPA , and works night shifts at a restaurant , admitting that life can get `` a bit stressful sometimes . '' She recently received the Prudential Spirit of Community Service Award , missing her junior prom to be in Washington for the honor . But she says her own sacrifices pale in comparison to those made by thousands of American soldiers everyday . Watch soldiers overseas describe the impact Tunes 4 the Troops has had on them » . `` I love what I do because it 's not just affecting me , it 's affecting thousands of other people , '' she says . `` To have such a large outcome of happy soldiers is so worth it . '' Radzyminski 's goal ? She hopes to collect and ship 500,000 CDs and DVDs to deployed soldiers overseas by the end of the year .
Kaylee Marie Radzyminski spends hours sending donated CDs , DVDs to troops . Radzyminski , 16 , went to high school in a small Tennessee town . Her organization has grown to over 200 volunteers around the nation .