The Service to Armed Forces Department of the American Red Cross in Tacoma collected 4,074 holiday greeting cards for the Holiday Mail for Heroes program to distribute to our local National Guardsmen and Reservists, as well as service members supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, during the holiday season.
Cards have been signed by Governor Chris Gregoire and the First Gentlemen, State Representative Laurie Jinkins, Red Cross Rainier Chapter board members, staff, and volunteers, members of The American Legion, Brigadier General Farris from 7th Infantry Division, Colonel Johnson, I Corps, Director of Public Affairs, and Colonel Bowers, ASAF Commander, 446th Airlift Wing.
Cards have also been signed by Tacoma business men and women, Tacoma Public School students, local Girl Scout troops, church members in Olympia, retirement community residents and Wal-Mart and Westfield Capital Mall shoppers.
“We hope people will continue this simple, yet very meaningful tradition of giving thanks to those who have sacrificed so much,” said Tracy Peacock, Chapter Executive of the Mount Rainier Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Once the Red Cross receives the cards that are sent in by the public, Pitney Bowes Inc. scans them to ensure safety and security. Red Cross volunteers sort and deliver them to military installations, in VA and military hospitals and to veteran’s organizations in the United States and overseas.
The public can connect with fellow card senders through Facebook at facebook.com/redcross and Twitter at Twitter.com/redcross using the hashtag #holiday mail.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
About Red Cross Holiday Partners
During this holiday season, the American Red Cross is grateful for the support of our corporate partners that generously contribute to our Holiday Giving Campaign. They include: University of Phoenix, Circle K West Coast Division, the Community Safety Foundation, funded by AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange and Barney’s. Thanks to the generosity of these and other sponsors, the Red Cross is able to carry out its mission of helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies everyday here and around the world. Each holiday season the Red Cross gives everyone the chance to support our work by giving blood, signing a card for military heroes or buying a gift through our holiday catalog. To support the Red Cross this Holiday Season, visit www.redcross.org/holiday
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