So we wrapped the year in style. With holiday travels and busy schedules, we still wanted to make sure the veterans at the Coatesville VA Medical Center got cards. And wow, did the Upper Merion schools come through? They blew our minds. So let’s start at the beginning.
We were invited to speak to a classroom of seniors at the Upper Merion Area High School. Not only did we get to speak to a fantastic group of tomorrow’s leaders, but their teacher had them create cards for the vets to get us started. And it only got better.
The high school came back later with a package of cards to take. The middle school provided about 100 cards and notes. Candlebrook Elementary came through with another envelope. Then Gulph Elementary showed up with nearly 1,000 cards and several banners. When I arrived to pick them up, it took 4 students and the art teacher, who orchestrated the school’s participation, just to carry the banners to the car. We can’t express the gratitude for all of the wonderful teachers and students who wanted to brighten the spirits of the veterans at the medical center. Thank you, truly, from the bottom of our hearts.
Delivering the Goods
After spending time with our family and friends on Thanksgiving, it was time to do what we do and take our children with us to go see our veterans with roughly 1,300 cards!! This has to be our record for cards collected to date!
After leaving boxes of cards at the volunteer office, we continued on to the Hospice, where we all visited with the residents. While there we had the pleasure of speaking to a content, older gentleman who was absolutely delightful telling us a story. Some children had recently visited and seen his cap, which read WWII and he said they wanted to know what “World War Eleven” was. Next, we went to the adjacent nursing facility to see the veterans who were more mobile. Our children walked into a room where two gentlemen were having ice cream and offered them some as well. Next thing you know our daughter is laughing because the gentleman is looking all over for his missing spoon. The children took the ice cream and thanked the men as we moved on. The kids actually scored more ice cream along the way. We blanketed the building with cards in every room, and the residents seemed to enjoy the company every bit as much as the cards.
We also managed to visit a locked facility, where we had limited access. The staff was kind enough to hand out the cards, since we couldn’t go to the different rooms.
One of our most memorable visits was a day room where a gentleman sat in a wheelchair with his spouse. We had gone in to leave some cards in the room when we noticed this elderly couple. We exchanged introductions, and discovered that John was a WWII veteran who did not verbally communicate much. Watching them together was just inspiring, and it was a memorable way to wrap up the visit.
Over the last 10 years, each visit offers unique memories and touches our hearts in a different way. We are proud to have done this, and we look forward to the next 10 years. Again, we are thankful for all of the various school districts who have helped make this possible through the years, including Upper Merion, Norristown, Plymouth Whitemarsh, and Tredyffrin.
If you are interested in helping out, please reach out by clicking here to email us.
