If you’ve crossed a lot of people off your Christmas card list, at least one local couple would be happy to take those surplus cardboard greetings off your hands.
For the last 14 years, Dianne Harrison and husband Brian have coordinated the mailout of Christmas cards with personalized greetings to Canadian troops overseas who cannot be home with their families for the holidays.
But this year, Harrison’s stock is depleted and she is appealing to anyone in the community with unused Christmas cards to consider donating them toward the cause.
Or, better still, Harrison encourages everyone in the community to write their own message and warm wishes to a “Canadian Soldier”, and drop off the envelope at locations in Aurora. The Harrisons will do the rest and ensure the cards get delivered to Belleville military base where they will be shipped to bases in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, among others.
“Our goal this year is 4,500 hand-written cards to the soldiers, and no postage is necessary,” she said. “Let’s send a plane full of love to the military from our town.”
Sometimes, a letter writer receives a response from the soldier to let them know just how much their thoughtfulness meant.
“A friend of mine sent her annual batch of 25 Christmas cards a few years ago, and in February, she got a letter from a soldier saying his buddy received her card, and it was the only one he received,” Harrison said. “The day after, he was killed in action.”
Harrison’s grandson, too, received a response from one of his cards.
“He got a card back from a soldier who said when he comes home and drives up Hwy. 400 and passes Newmarket, ’I will salute you’,” she said.
Most years, the Harrisons send between 3,000 and 6,000 cards to the troops.
They take the blank cards into local schools, seniors’ homes and long-term care facilities so anyone wishing to write a personal note of gratitude to the brave men and women serving in Canada’s military can do so.
But with a Nov. 29 deadline looming to wrap-up the initiative, already personalized Christmas cards ready to go in the mail would be ideal, Harrison said. And, of course, donations of cards no longer wanted is always welcome.
If you and your family would like to participate by writing out your holiday message on a card, you may drop off your sealed envelope addressed to “Canadian Soldier” at the RED (Remember Everyone Deployed) drop-off boxes at the following locations:
- Northridge Community Church of the Salvation Army (15338 Leslie St.)
- The Aurora Legion (105 Industrial Pkwy. N)
- Aurora Town Hall (100 John West Way)
- Aurora Public Library (15145 Yonge St.)
- Aurora Family Leisure Complex (135 Industrial Pkwy. N)
- Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex (1400 Wellington St. E)
- Aurora Seniors Association (90 John West Way)
- The Auroran Newspaper (15213 Yonge St.)
- 15 Brookland Ave., in the lobby
“I’m pushing the colour red because after the Second World War, everybody wore red on Fridays to honour our military, but it seems people have forgotten all about that,” Harrison said.
The Christmas cards are anticipated to be en route to the troops on Dec. 2.
For more information, email Dianne Harrison at [email protected].
