(no subject)

So, Soldiers' Angels. Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with hundreds of thousands of volunteers providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, veterans and their families. The volunteers of Soldiers' Angels follow the motto "May No Soldier Go Unloved" to assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of unique and effective ways.

A few of the projects the Angels are involved in:

Adopt a Soldier - Give individualized support throughout deployment (This is what I was talking about when I said I have 2 "adopted" soldiers.)
Angel Bakers - Bake homemade treats for the deployed
Blankets of Belief - Make blankets for deployed troops to tell them, "We believe in you!" / Blankets of Gratitude - Make blankets for hospitalized veterans / Blankets of Hope - Make blankets for the wounded
Cards Plus Team - Send extra TLC to soldiers & families
Chaplain Support Team - Help chaplains support the troops
First Response Backpacks - Collect supplies for wounded in-country
Letter Writing Team - Write letters to the deployed
Operation Outreach - Support families waiting at home
Operation Top Knot - Create handmade gifts & virtual baby showers
SOS:Kids - Help deployed soldiers help local kids
Veterans Support - Gather items for "Vet Packs"
Wounded TLC - Send letters and care packages for the wounded

Associate Angels participate in the group activities and projects that do not involve personal information about soldiers or families. Verified Angels have had their identities confirmed, and may participate in the Soldiers' Angels Forum and join any Soldiers' Angels team or project, including instantly adopting a deployed hero! For the deeper level of involvement this requires and the sensitive information shared with these Angels, Soldiers' Angels requires identify verification. Identity is verified through the normal processing of a checking account or credit card donation of as little as one dollar.

Signing up to adopt a Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine is simple and takes only a few minutes. It is a commitment to send at least a letter each week and a care package each month throughout the service member's deployment. These heroes either submit their info to Soldiers' Angels requesting to be paired up with an Angel or someone (a friend or relative back home, or sometimes their chaplain or CO) else has submitted the request for them. As I'm making this post, there are 1411 heroes waiting for adoption. (You do agree not to share your adopted heroes information, which is why I'm asking for cards to be sent to me so I can put them in a care package for them.)

The Letter Writing Team is something that requires less of a commitment. These soldiers are also assigned an Angel to provide ongoing support, but our team provides them with some extra cards and letters. Many of the soldiers who are waiting for adoption are included in the Letter Writing Names. You sign up for as many days in the week as you would like to write letters. On each day you sign up for, your assigned LWT Team Leader will send you (via email) a new name and address to write to. You are only asked to send one card or letter to each address you receive, but of course may send more if you like.

I could probably go into detail about all the different programs and ways to get involved or donate, but I'm pretty sure yall are all internet savvy enough to explore the Soldiers' Angels website on your own. :)

There is also an Angel Forum where you can have discussions with other Angels. There are some heart-warming stories there, as well as lots of tips on themed care packages, special deals, and other things. I have found some excellent links on there, like operation postcard and operation Christmas tree.

I really like being involved with this organization. I do have 2 adopted soldiers, and I'm signed up for letter writing 2 days a week. It's a lot easier than you would think to come up with things to say, especially since several of the soldiers I've talked to say they like hearing the random day-to-day nonsense that they're missing out on. My sis-in-law and I are also getting together with some of the nurses she works with to donate a few First Response Backpacks this holiday season. There are a lot of little ways to contribute that make a big difference. :)

I hope some of yall will be interested in checking this out and considering joining.