Helping to spread holiday cheer and give thanks, the Assurant Foundation recently donated 5,000 greeting cards for the American Red Cross “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program.
|
|
The Red Cross’ annual holiday card campaign encourages the public to send inspirational and uplifting messages to military stationed in the United States and abroad. In its seventh year, the program has distributed 6.5 million cards to Armed Forces members during the holiday season.
“Getting enough blank cards has been the perpetual problem in running the campaign. Assurant’s gift of cards allows us to reach more enlisted men and women at an important time of year,” said Lauren Pearse, lead specialist of the organization’s Service to the Armed Forces for the Georgia Region of the American Red Cross. “For many members of the military, these words of thanks mean a great deal and it helps brighten their day to know that their service is appreciated.”
Sue Baumgartel, a former employee of Assurant Solutions and current member of Tiffany Circle, a society of philanthropic female leaders who support the American Red Cross, recognized this need and reached out to her former company for help.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of this because I have such a love for our military and our vets, said Baumgartel. “I’m also proud of the role that Assurant is playing which means that 5,000 more soldiers can receive cards this year.”
Want to mail your thanks to an enlisted serviceman, here’s how:
- Pick a holiday or blank card. Avoid cards with glitter because it can aggravate health issues for the wounded or sick.
- Don’t include photos, gift cards or letter because they won’t make it through the screening and sorting process. Just use the card itself.
- Address the card to “Dear Service Member, Veteran or Military Family” so they can be shared with anyone in the military community.
- If you’re sending a large quantity of cards, avoid the individual envelopes and place all of your cards in a big mailing envelope or flat-rate postal shipping box.
- Mail cards (with postage) to: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
- Cards must be postmarked by Dec. 6, 2013 to arrive in time.
The Red Cross receives the cards and then packages and ships them to their offices around the world for sorting and distributing to military, veterans and their families. Since all deliveries to military institutions require screening, the Red Cross partners with the Department of Defense and vendors to scan and distribute cards. The cards are scanned at national headquarters and sent to local chapters for distribution.
For additional information on the program, visit www.redcross.org/holidaymail