Homemade cards from little kids are magic. Share the love this Valentine’s Day; send your little one’s artwork to someone who deserves an extra smile.
by Jenna Morton
If your kids are anything like mine, they’ve already made a stack of Valentine’s Day cards without really knowing who they’re for. Maybe your kids have no idea what Valentine’s Day is, but you’ve got a ream of paper and 100s of heart stickers at the ready. Whatever your crafting status is, this is an idea for you.
Every year, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) accepts Valentines from Canadian schools, individuals, and organizations as part of its Valentines for Vets program. The VAC shares the cards and artwork with veterans in long-term care facilities across the country.
The program has been running through VAC since 1996; its roots are in an Ann Landers column from 1989, in which the writer asked her readers to honour their nations' Veterans by making hand-crafted valentines.
If you’d like to participate, send your valentines to VAC Head Office by February 1, 2015. The mailing address is:
Valentines for Vets
Veterans Affairs Canada
Commemoration
P.O. Box 7700
Charlottetown, PE C1A 8M9
For tips on what you should and should not include (greeting card size is best; put your child’s name and age, but not their contact information; write a message addressing the Veteran, etc.), visit the VAC website.
If you need some valentine inspiration, check out momstown’s Valentine's Day Pinterest board; a simple V for Valentines, V for Veteran would be perfect.
If you don’t have time to send them off to be part of Valentines for Vets, look closer to home. Perhaps there’s a seniors residence nearby that would gladly accept them. Maybe a local small options home would appreciate the extra mail. Or maybe there’s a special neighbour or community helper (bus driver, mailman, crossing guard) that could use an extra smile.
