Photo By Staff Sgt. Wilma Orozco Fanfan | Here, Sgt. 1st. Class Waldemar Rivera, a native of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and member...... read more read more
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Puerto Rico National Guard supports the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” initiative, as more than 100 volunteers from the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Red Cross gathered at the Red Cross facilities in Rio Piedras to prepare holiday greeting cards, Nov. 2.
“’The Holiday Mail for Heroes” is a Red Cross nationwide-sponsored event that started in 2006 and has mailed more than 6.5 million season greetings cards to deployed military service members,” said Lee Vanessa Feliciano, executive director of the American Red Cross, Puerto Rico Chapter.
“The purpose of this event is to deliver Christmas cards to veterans from all services and those deployed citizen-soldiers of the Puerto Rico National Guard,” said Feliciano. “The goal for this year is for each volunteer to make at least five cards.”
The support of the Puerto Rico National Guard is essential in the distribution of the cards, as they are later placed in the care packages that are mailed to the deployed citizen-soldiers during the holiday season, said Feliciano.
The volunteers, mostly students from different schools and colleges from around the island, add inspirational messages and holiday greetings in these cards. The cards are also delivered to the Veteran Administration hospitals and veterans nursing homes, among other institutions.
“Holiday Mail for Heroes” has become a tradition for the Red Cross volunteers and the veterans. Deployed service members who receive the cards do so with enthusiasm.
“It is a great joy to receive the package and open the cards, especially when you are away from your loved ones during the holidays, said Sgt. 1st Class Waldemar Rivera, operations sergeant of the 113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Puerto Rico National Guard. “I still keep the ones I received during my deployment to Iraq in 2007 because those cards really made a great difference during my deployment."
According to Rivera, the unique cultural elements that are included in the cards add a special touch bringing the recipients closer to home in a time when they are away from the loved ones serving the nation.
This event provides credits hours of community service for the volunteers, while it gives them the experience to share joy and appreciation to all service members.
| Date Taken: | 11.02.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2013 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 116256 |
| Location: | SAN JUAN, PR |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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