There is a
great pleasure about volunteering but with me one thing is for sure: I prefer
to do it at my own rithem. I'm not a fan of having to be at one place at
a certain time; I'm a free spirit so I've always been more attracted to
volunteering from home.
I learned about Soldiers Angels during a very sad
(love related) trip, at a Fisher House in Cincinnati. I remember I saw a
book called "May No Soldier Go Unloved" by Jeff Bader. I look
through the book and read something about an organization where people could
volunteer at, it was Soldier's Angels. I made a menthal note to look that up
once I get home...
...and I did. Now let me tell
you about this site/organization, which I love.
Soldier's Angels is a volunteer-led public charity that provides aid and
comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air
Force, Coast Guard, and their families. It is an international organization
with members in U.S. states and several friendly
countries who support America's men and women in uniform. We are hundreds
of thousands of volunteers in over 20 different teams and programs operating
internationally to provide letters, care packages, and comfort items to the
deployed, and support for their families at home. We also provide assistance
to the wounded, continuing support for veterans, remembrances and comfort for
families of the fallen, and immediate response to unique difficulties that
military individuals and families can encounter.
They don't discriminate, you don't have to be an American or live there to support them. I'm not American and live in Europe! They welcome everybody and they don't expect you to support with money, everything you can give is well received. To be a member, I did a small donation of 1 dollar!
Soldiers'
Angels began with a mother of two American soldiers, Patti Patton-Bader. Her
eldest son, Staff Sergeant Brandon, deployed to Iraq from 2003-2004 and her
youngest was deployed to Iraq from 2007-2008. In the summer of his deployment,
Brandon expressed concern that some soldiers in his unit did not receive any
mail or support from home. Patti quickly contacted a
handful of friends and extended family and asked if they would support a
soldier or two. Within just a few months Soldiers' Angels went from a
mother sending a few extra care packages and letters to an Internet community
with thousands of Angels worldwide.
These are
some of the things you can do:
- Adopt a Soldier: they assign you an adopted soldier, and after you receive an email
with information about him or her you can then begin sending your letters and
care packages.
- Join the Craft Team: Operation Top Knot
is a network of service clubs and individuals who sew, knit and shop
to create gift baskets for infants and expectant mothers in military families. They also assemble and deliver
gift baskets full of goodies such as bottles, diapers, onesies, pacifiers,
washcloths, grooming kits, and more. They also make sure to remember Dad
by sending "It's a Boy!" or "It's a Girl!" bubblegum cigars
to wherever he is stationed.
-
Family Support: Operation
Outreach supports the homefront. Deployment isn't just hard on a hero, it's
extraordinarily difficult for their family as well. Military families worry,
struggle, and sacrifice, and Operation Outreach says “Thank You” to these
unsung home-front heroes.
The request is for cards and
letters of support for family members but also provides gifts
to help make a birthday or holiday special, coordinates with Angels in local
areas to provide ongoing support, links military families with e-pals or pen pals who know what they're going through, and
provides limited financial assistance.
-
Sewing Teams: The Sewing Team
supports the troops through sewing skills.
- Wounded Team: lend support during the difficult time when a hero is
ill or wounded. Team members send cards and letters of support to service
members who are sometimes suffering catastrophic injuries and need to know they
are not forgotten.
-
Writing
Teams:
The Cards Plus Team is dedicated to supporting service members,
their families and even other Angels through encouraging cards and notes at
special times. The Letter Writing Team is a group of
Soldiers' Angels who enjoy writing to service members and who know how
important it is for a deployed service member to hear his or her name called at
mail call. This is the team I'm at!
I'm doing my PHD and money is scare so my contributions are not money based. They don't care! What ever you can do is valuable for them. I'm currently at the Letter Writing Team and the Wounded Team. They also have a forum where the Angels talk about different things and some times give some more names of military personnel in need of a letter or other Angels needing a postcard from your state or country for their soldier's scrap book :) You'll be hooked!
There are more different things you can do through them. Please, go check their site and read a bit more, I assure you will fall in love with their cause as I did.
Proud to be an Angel, from wing tip to wing tip,
Honey
May No Soldier Go Unloved
May No Soldier Walk Alone
May No Soldier Be Forgotten
'Til they All Come Home.
References:
https://soldiersangels.org/
You could find other webpages but the cards were kind of tacky, and of
course, there are the ones you get for money...but we are not there yet right? 
