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Holiday Mail for Heroes

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Holiday Mail for Heroes
Swap Coordinator:LadyT (contact)
Swap categories: Seasonal 
Number of people in swap:15
Location:Regional - USA
Type:None
Last day to signup/drop:December 3, 2008
Date items must be sent by:December 10, 2008
Number of swap partners:1
Description:

ELECTRONIC (minus the holiday cards mailed for our heroes) & USA Swap.

Send a minimum of five (5) cards to the address below and then send an EMAIL to your partner about WHY you chose to do this swap and your experience with it how supporting our heroes has added to your life) You can also post the same note on the swap page - to share with everyone, if you'd like.

From the front lines to the home front, the American Red Cross provides service members, their families and veterans with the care and assistance they need.

The Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes this holiday season for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. For the second year in a row, they’re collecting holiday cards to distribute to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. Pitney Bowes is generously donating technology, resources and postage to make this holiday card program possible.

The goal is to collect and distribute one million holiday cards to spread holiday cheer and facilitate thanks to these brave individuals and families.

Please send cards to this address, following the guidelines listed below:

Holiday Mail for Heroes PO Box 5456 Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Card Guidelines Please follow these guidelines when mailing a card to ensure that your card will quickly reach service members, veterans and their families. Every card received will first be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working in one of 16 sorting stations around the country.

  • All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender.

  • Please ensure that all cards are signed.

  • Please use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.

  • Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process.

  • Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.

  • Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.

  • Participants are encouraged to limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group. If you are mailing a larger quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope.

  • All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print or online mediums.

  • Phone cards or gift cards will not be accepted with the holiday cards. Those wishing to send calling cards or gift cards/certificates should go to www.aafes.com, scroll down to "AAFES Community Connection" and click on "Help Our Troops Call Home" or "Gift Cards/Certificates for Our Troops" in order to send such items.

  • No 'Care Packages' will be accepted at this address. Those wishing to send care packages should go to www.AmericaSupportsYou.com and click under "Homefront Groups" to find out how to send care packages.

RULES (even though I hate them) Rating of 4.5 or better, with NO no sends in the past six months. Go ahead and message me if you’ve been rated unfairly at any point or have a good reason for your lower rating or the no sends, and we’ll talk. I’m certainly open to listening - as I understand LIFE HAPPENS!

Newbies allowed, but with filled out profiles please by the time you are signing up.

Communication is key. If you’re going to be late with the swap, let your partner know. If your partner tells you he/she is going to be late, and keeps up the communication, give him/her a break. Sometimes things come up that just can’t be helped. Life happens!

I reserve the right to ban anyone that I think might be a problem. This means people that I've noticed have a history of rating unfairly, nastiness, etc. I believe in playing nice & fairly.

ENJOY, Have FUN - after-all, this is a HOBBY . . hobbies are supposed to bring you joy & happiness!!!!!!!!

Discussion

camelsamba 11/19/2008 #

Probably a silly question, but can we put all 5 cards into one envelope to send to that place, or does each card need it's own envelope? Oh wait, I found the answer! I'll go ahead and post this in case others overlook it on their first reading:

Each card does not need its own envelope.

camelsamba 11/19/2008 #

P.S. Great idea! I hope lots of swapbotters sign up.

LadyT 11/24/2008 #

Thanks for participating ;}

dishevelled 11/25/2008 #

i sent out my cards today. if i have any leftover from all of these xmas swaps i plan to send in the rest before the deadline. thanks for bringing attention to this campaign, ladyt. my husband's just come home from a tour of duty and it's good to have him home for the holidays!

LadyT 11/26/2008 #

Aw, glad he is home & safe, too. Thanks for sending the cards.

Starwatcher 11/30/2008 #

Great swap idea! I remember a similar program going on when my husband was stationed on Okinawa, Japan in the 1980's. I would hang out at Recreation Center there quite often and I came across a large box of Christmas cards from people from throughout the US. Reading the notes cheered me up and made the whole family feel closer to home. I am sure others felt the same way. t is amazing how such a small thing can help so much when you are far away from home.

LadyT 12/ 1/2008 #

Cool - I HOPE our giving helps those feel better this holiday season too.

PurpleTX 12/ 2/2008 #

I already had an envelope addressed to this campaign, so I will join & share all the reasonings with my partner (then post on my blog) -- Thank you for the WONDERFUL swap.

LadyT 12/ 2/2008 #

Thank YOU for joining!

jmommy08 12/ 4/2008 #

Thank you so much for running this swap! This is a great idea! I have posted my experience in my blog as well as emailing my partner. Thanks again!

dishevelled 12/ 5/2008 #

here's something in a similar vein; xerox is sending free postcards to the troops, with patriotic designs on the cards all drawn by american children. you pick the postcard you want to send, and it gets put in the queue for printing and mailing for free, at 'LetsSayThanks.com'

Jenny143 12/ 7/2008 #

Thank you for running this swap!!! I mailed my cards and emailed my partner, but as I have not blog I will ramble here for a moment. While I do not personally know anyone currently serving I do feel we all are responsible to do what we can to support them and I like that folks are looking out for servicemen and women and veterans who do not receive mail or have no family members to write to them. In addition to my own cards, I spread the word around my office via email and asked them all to consider sending a card or two. Most everyone happily committed to send cards and letters; a few ladies took a print out from the web-site to their church for a letter writing luncheon after church and another took blank cardstock and markers home over the Thanksgiving holiday and had a family activity with her children creating and sending home made hand-crafted cards. I was so happy to participate in this swap and look forward to doing more in the upcoming year!

I hope you all had a joy filled Thanksgiving! I wish you a happy Christmas! May the year ahead be filled with joy!

LadyT 12/ 8/2008 #

I chose to host this swap for several reasons.

Number one: I have family and friends serving in this war and I see what it does to them and their families to go back for 2nd, 3rd and 4th tours. I see what it does to them when they come home and so many things have changed for them and their worlds. So many of them are just young men - like my sons and I put myself in their mother's position and my heart aches for them and I thank the higher power that my sons are safe and at home with me.

The holidays have always been special for me - fond memeries of big family get togethers, great smells & sounds and lots of smiles and laughing and joy, if even for just the day.

It is my hope that one card puts one smile on one soldier's face and brings joy - if only for just a minute or maybe the day.

Secondly, While, I am against the war (any war) but support the troops and if this was just one little way that I could do my part & say thank you to some of them - then I would have sent 1,000 cards, if it were allowed.

I hope that I spread the word to as many people as possible and they payed it back and told everyone they knew - so maybe I am repsonsible for 1000 cards being sent!!!!

Thank you for sharing in my thankfullhness. Traci

AprilShowers 12/10/2008 #

Thank you for hosting this swap and spreading the word about Mail for Heroes. I'm sending out 10 cards. While we may against the war, we can still support the troops. They need our encouragement and prayers. Many of them get very little mail and I'm sure it's especially difficult during the holidays to be away from home. For those interested in sending mail throughout the year, try www.anysoldier.com. Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season!

LadyT 12/10/2008 #

Thanks everyone!

AprilShowers 12/11/2008 #

Lady T, hearts & stars to you for giving us a way to think of others during this holiday season!

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