NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — There is an effort to send kindness to our heroes in uniform.
That is the mission of one Western New York group hoping to ensure the military feels appreciated, this Valentine's Day.
Acacia Park Cemetery is hosting its 5th annual Operation Valentine initiative.
Acacia Cemetery general manager, Joe Davis said, "We're very proud and respectful of our military community. We thought it was a great idea to involved nursery schools, kindergartens, daycares."
A simple message of encouragement and gratitude, hoping to brighten the days of our servicemen and women.
Acacia Park Cemetery, which is one of about 1,000 in the country exclusive to veterans and their families, is continuing with its simple and meaningful message from the hearts of children to soldiers.
David, "I think it teaches both the creator of the cards. It's teaching the kids that we need to be respectful and we should be appreciative of what our military does. I think there's a lesson for the military folks too. I think they get a sense of support from the community. It should tell them that they're not alone."
From now through February 5, the cemetery is collecting valentine cards.
Each year, the office brings in cards from little tykes by the hundreds, with messages to our troops in heart cut-outs.
This year, they are going to extra mile to get to troops.
David said, "We work with the Niagara Falls Air Base and this year, we are doing something a little more special. We know that there is a specialty group being deployed in April so we're going to be sending a bunch of cards to their deployment."
Any child or organization that wants to send a valentine, can drop it off at the cemetery's main office on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Cards cannot include glitter, food or candy, but there are still many ways to personalize a handmade card.
A "Thank You" message can be written or just tell them about yourself and wish them a Happy Valentine Day!
Our troops are away from their loved ones and friends so they really want to know that people back home appreciate them. Care packages are one thing, but this is a real morale boost.
