Snowbird makes Valentine’s Cards for troops overseas
Snowbird – The Snowbird Community Library hosted the second annual Valentine’s Cards for our Troops event Friday, which saw nearly a dozen visitors from all over the world crafting Valentines for soldiers deployed overseas.
Inspired by her own family’s service in the military, library aide Kari Beth Holloway designed the inaugural card-making session last year.
“My dad and brother were both in the Army and served overseas in Vietnam and Iraq, respectively,” Holloway said. “I remember sending care packages to my brother and learning about what my dad’s parents shipped to him in Vietnam: a homemade chocolate cake and a hunting knife.
“When I came across the Hugs for Soldiers organization, I just kept thinking, ‘What if there’s a soldier out there that isn’t getting any mail?’”
Library Manager Zena Rattler was immediately on board.
“Hugs for Soldiers is a wonderful opportunity to show appreciation to our deployed service members,” said Rattler. “I hope that each card sent is able to deliver every ounce of love, pride and appreciation that was put into each one made by our community and school kids.”
The 2019 card-making session produced around 20 cards and Holloway expects this year’s contribution to be much larger.
This year, Holloway and Rattler conducted four card-making sessions at the John Welch Senior Center in Cherokee County, the Snowbird Senior Citizens Center and the Snowbird Youth Center/Boys and Girls Club as well as at the library.
The Jan. 17 session included nine students from Keene State College in Keene, N.H., who participated as part of Once Upon A Time, the Great Smoky Mountains site for Breakaway, a program which matches college students with community service volunteering opportunities.
Once Upon A Time allows young people to spend their vacations learning about Cherokee culture as well as environmental issues. Over the past 14 years, group leaders Ed and Arleen Decker have hosted 2000 students from more than 60 countries.
“Once Upon A Time gives students a chance to have fun and volunteer in places that they might not get to visit, otherwise,” said Ed Decker.
This year’s Once Upon A Time contingent was made up of students from New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and even Nepal.
“This was a great experience making Valentine cards for our troops and learning about the Snowbird Community in North Carolina,” said Madison Coffey of Halifax, Mass.
Daniella Giese of Harwinton, Conn. agreed.
“It was an incredible opportunity to learn about Cherokee culture and make cards for our troops,” Giese said.
In only its second year, Snowbird’s Valentine’s Cards for Our Troops project has, according to Holloway, “grown tremendously” and is expected to keep expanding every year.
“I want to make sure that we did our part in letting soldiers know that they are loved, they are appreciated, and that we haven’t forgotten them,” Holloway said. “I just hope they receive these cards and it puts a smile on their face.”