Volunteers write 1,000 Christmas cards for soldiers
ALBION — The call went out for volunteers to send Christmas cards to soldiers overseas. Catherine Schmidt wasn’t sure what kind of response she would get.
On Sunday afternoon, about 40 people filled out about 1,000 cards. Schmidt had 500 with her, and needed to get more.
She said a card with a hand-written message goes a long way in making soldiers feel appreciated while they are deployed far away from family.
“It lifts the spirits of soldiers who can’t come home,” she said on Sunday at 39 Problems, an Albion restaurant and bar that hosted the card-signing.
Schmidt is the volunteer coordinator of the recently started PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer program in Orleans County. The program aims to connect veterans to services and social events.
She set a goal of 900 cards. That is how many are deployed on the Naval ship. The additional cards will likely to sent to other soldiers.
The volunteers added artwork, jokes and messages from the heart in their cards, Schmidt said.
Cards will be accepted until Nov. 30 and can be dropped off at the YMCA in Medina or the Orleans County Veterans Service agency on Route 31 in Albion.