Forney VFW Holds “Card for Heroes” Event

Submitted by: Diane Brush

June 23, 2009

On Sunday June 28th all area scrap bookers and crafters are invited to come out and join us for a free card making crop benefiting our troops serving overseas! Cards are a simple luxury that we would take for granted, but on the battlefields there are no Hallmark stores! Therefore, we will be hand making blank cards to send to the troops to help them keep in touch with the families and friends back here in the USA.

Letters Home will provide the soldiers with free cards to send home for birthdays, anniversaries, miss you, and any and all occasions.

We also welcome anyone to come by to send our brave men and women a personal letter of encouragement and support! Come for 4 hours or just a few minutes, bring your supplies, and make as many cards as possible!

After a beautiful, but hot, summer Memorial Day spent at the DFW National Cemetery, I pondered over a way to personally show my support for the troops, but in a larger scale than just me and my family.

I have two big passions in my life outside of my family – scrap booking and soldiers! I joined with a few friends and Letters Home was created when I found a way to combine our talents as scrap bookers with the means to get hand-made cards to the troops at www.cardsforheroes.org.

When I presented the idea to the Forney Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), they were instantly eager to offer the use of their location. We have found support from local scrap booking stores and local businesses alike. We have room now for up to 80 people!

All we need now is an abundance of willing scrap bookers to get together and help us make cards!

As an Army wife for 10 years, I understand how it is often hard for a service member to find the time (much less the mental energy) to write a long detailed letter home.

A card is the perfect start to a short and simple way to keep our troops in touch with those they love at home. And I personally guarantee you there is nothing sweeter than receiving a hand-written note from your deployed service member!

This event is open to the public, June 28th, at the Forney VFW located at 13300 FM 1641, next to the Country Smokehouse. We will be there from 1-5pm. Door Prizes will be given out!

Please bring your own supplies! We plan to have some papers and some supplies but we really need everyone to bring at least scissors, adhesive, pencils, and rulers.

This is also a great way for scrappers to clean out old supplies and be “green” by using scraps, left-over stickers, and old papers. Cards are simple to make and anyone can make one!

It is positively okay to pre-make cards and drop them off as well! We do not have to have envelopes but if you have them please bring them too. The preferred card size is 4 ¼ x 5 ½, which is exactly an 8 ½ x 11 paper cut in half!

Please make sure that the cards have a light colored card base since many soldiers may only have a pencil to write with. Multiples of the same cards are a great way to get a lot of cards done! Check out www.cardsforheroes.org for great ideas on cards!

Please contact Diane Brush at 214-796-4572 for more information or to RSVP. Please RSVP as we are already getting a good response. We will take donations to send to cardsforheroes.org to help with the shipping costs to get the cards to the troops and also for borrowed supplies!

Some local Forney businesses have already made small contributions, and if funds allow, we will send extra money to The Wounded Warrior Project.

The VFW also would like to welcome any qualifying veterans to please stop by and ask about membership. Membership is only $25 a year and a great way for veterans to come together in the community.

I pledged to help see an increase in the Forney VFW membership and make the community more aware of the veterans who walk among us every day silently but proudly. Thank God for our men and women who have gone before and who serve today to give us the opportunity to live in the best country in world!

Let’s make sure our troops know we still stand behind them – no matter what your feelings might be on the war. It is important to know and to understand the sacrifices these men and women make on a daily basis and to never forget. Huge thanks for supporting our troops!