American Red Cross Brings Holiday Cheer to Local
Service Members, Veterans, and Families
ROCHESTER, N.Y., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2010—Hundreds of thousands of holiday cards are beginning to arrive at military bases and hospitals around the world, as American Red Cross workers and volunteers deliver the handiwork and heartfelt wishes collected through this year’s Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign.
The Red Cross of the Finger Lakes NY Region joined American Red Cross chapters nationwide in this special holiday initiative. On Veteran’s Day, the national American Red Cross organization began to gather holiday cards for delivery to servicemen and women. With help from our community, the Holiday Mail for Heroes program amassed nearly 5,000 cards in the Finger Lakes region alone.
Cards were distributed to:
Program at the Canandaigua Veteran's Affairs Office
Canandaigua VA Medical Center & ROPC residential program for homeless veterans
Army Strong program for families with a member deployed, returning vets, etc.
Warrior SALUTE program at CDS/Unistel
Veterans Service Agency of Monroe County
Operation Welcome Home & Recovery program at the Monroe County VOC
The Holiday Mail for Heroes program is a program of the American Red Cross’s Services to the Armed Forces, an area of the Red Cross responsible for communicating messages during emergencies and other military support services for local troops both at home and on active duty. The mail campaign was run exclusively by volunteers and required over 60 volunteer hours to complete.
“It’s an honor for our community to help make the holidays special for American heroes,” said Leighton Jones, Director of Disaster & Emergency Services at the Greater Rochester Red Cross. “The American Red Cross serves and supports members of the military, veterans, and their families by providing emergency communications, comfort, and assistance each day and this is an additional way for the Red Cross honor the military. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program continues the Red Cross tradition of service to the armed forces.”
This is the fourth year that the Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have teamed up to provide holiday cheer to service members and veterans. Nationally, the program has distributed hundreds of thousands of cards to service members and veterans.
About the Finger Lakes NY Region, American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization—not a government agency—and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit RochesterRedCross.org or contact us at 585-241-4400.
About Pitney Bowes
Celebrating its 90th year of innovation, Pitney Bowes provides software, hardware and services that integrate physical and digital communications channels. Long known for making its customers more productive, Pitney Bowes is increasingly helping other companies grow their business. Pitney Bowes is a $5.6 billion company and employs 33,000 worldwide. Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a new opportunity™. pb.com