Valentines For Troops Poised For 2011 Outreach

By Eliza Hallabeck

From hard candies to “anything that reminds them of home,” Valentines For Troops Project Chair Donna Monteleone Randle says the local effort to send troops serving oversees special thanks for Valentine’s Day is gearing up and collecting items for the 2011 effort.

“This year has expanded into a total community event,” said Ms Randle.

While the effort has predominantly been directed toward students in the past, Ms Randle, a former US Army Captain, Signal Corps, said this year adult groups and after school groups are joining the effort.

Last year, 2,200 students wrote more than 3,300 letters and cards expressing their appreciation for the men and women serving the country. This year, participants will include students from Newtown’s four elementary schools, St Rose of Lima School, Reed Intermediate School, and Merry Hill Day Care. Schools from several neighboring towns have also expressed interest in participating in the project, including Roxbury’s school district and roughly 200 students in Danbury.

Several area houses of worship have also signed on with the effort, including Trinity Episcopal, Christ the King Lutheran, Newtown United Methodist, Newtown Congregational, Faith at Newtown, and Congregation Adath Israel. Other groups involved with the project include the Connecticut National Guard Family Support Group in Hartford, Blue Star Mothers, and the local VFW.

In the past, a kickoff has been held to enthuse students to write letters to the troops. This year, Ms Randle said she is working to hold an after school kick-off that will invite community members interested in joining the effort. A date for the event has not yet been scheduled.

Each year volunteers work to find and list addresses of deployed personnel to whom to send letters and care packages, and later work to help proofread and package the letters and care packages for shipment overseas, to places like Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, and to ships at sea.

This week the Valentines For Troops project also enjoyed airtime on Charter 21 both on Sunday, January 2, and Tuesday, January 4. Ms Randle appeared on the local television channel with First Selectman Pat Llodra, who Ms Randle called a fantastic partner for the Valentines For Troops effort.

As an announcement this year’s effort has begun, Ms Randle said, “Basically anyone who can write a letter is welcome to participate.”

Anyone interested in writing or sending a care package through the Valentines For Troops effort can contact Ms Randle at ndrandle@charter.net or Jen Peterson at jdmp7896@charter.net. No addresses for troops are released publicly, according to Ms Randle, and participation in the project is, and has, been voluntary for the writers. Both Ms Randle and Ms Peterson said Hawleyville Postmaster Mark Favale said he will continue to help anyone interested in the effort who goes to the Hawleyville Post Office.

The effort will be sending letters and care packages to a military hospital unit in Kuwait that has requested “healthy snacks” be sent and cards for patients, a Cavalry Regiment, and therapy dogs, like one named SFC Timmy, would appreciate treats.

“We are writing to Newtown residents and friends again and hope that some of our Newtown students will send them some reminders of our hometown,” said Ms Randle.

According to Ms Randle, a National Guard battalion from Connecticut and Rhode Island has asked for, along with letters, “magazines and photos from New England.” The battalion has also asked to receive scented candles, knick knacks, hard candies, and coffee.

Ms Peterson said involvement in this year’s Valentines For Troops project will be roughly as strong as last year’s effort, and may send even more letters and care packages to troops than last year.

Student involvement in the program, as in the past, can be kept confidential, and, if students wish to receive replies to their letters, the return address can be listed for their school.

A Facebook Page

A new Facebook page for “Valentines For Troops Newtown CT” was started recently by Ms Peterson to mark events, news, and milestones for the effort. Ms Peterson said she also hopes the page will become a way to interact with troops who receive letters and care packages from the effort.

Newtown residents have also already been adding support to the 2011 the effort, according to Ms Peterson and Ms Randle. The Newtown Youth Academy has promised a Girl Scout troop the ability to sell cookies to send to troops on the property, and Hawley Elementary school fourth grader Sean Connor has been collecting CDs and DVDs at St Rose Church to send overseas.

“He received permission from Monsignor Robert Weiss at St Rose of Lima Church to put a box out and collect a small mountain of CDs and DVDs,” said Ms Randle.

Charter Communications has also been collecting DVDs to send to the troops, and other companies, including Duracell and Unilever, have donated items to send to the troops.

The effort could also use monetary donations, Ms Randle said, if people are too busy to buy items or write letters. The money would be used to fund postage costs for the letters and care packages.