Have you ever thought about volunteering with a group or an organization, but couldn’t really commit to anything due to your schedule? I’ve thought about volunteering at a local nursing home, or at the animal shelter on several occasions in the past. However, our schedule is usually pretty packed. I can’t commit to showing up on the same day/time every week. And so, I normally choose to just donate money or help with fundraising. With Halloween around the corner we normally go trick or treating at one or two of the local nursing home facilities before hitting the town. We try to do this every year. It makes me so happy to see the looks on the residents faces when we are able to stop by. This is why I started looking into other ways of helping out. Something that I could fit into my schedule. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you about this organization called “Soldiers’ Angels”.
When my brother was at boot camp we did everything to find out how to stay in touch with him. We were told via the unit Facebook page that letters were really important because hearing from home was a huge morale booster. So we wrote letters all of the time, and from what I was told he was one of the few men in his unit that received them almost daily. This got me thinking about how many soldiers there are out there that may not get letters from home regularly. And so the search began for ways to help. After some research I came across Soldiers’ Angels. They provide support for veterans, deployed troops, wounded soldiers, and their families in various different ways. From writing letters to sending cards. From sending care packages to hosting virtual baby showers. And they also have hundreds of in person volunteer opportunities for those that can dedicate the time. These range from food drives, outreach programs, and lending a hand at local VA hospitals. And that’s just the beginning. If you want to know more about the various volunteer programs they offer you can visit their "Program Support" page here, or their “Ways to Give” page here to learn more about monetary donations and how they’re used.
Today, I just wanted shed some light on the program I decided to join through them. First, in order to become a member they ask that you donate a minimum of a dollar per month. For me, this was super easy to say yes to. Once you sign up, and have been approved you are able to choose one or more programs to participate in. I chose to join the “Letter Writing Team”. You are given the option of writing one letter a month, or up to two letters per day. The minimum required is once a month for at least three months. You then write a one-time letter to a service member that’s been assigned to you. You see, sometimes there is a wait time before a member has been adopted for the duration of their deployment by someone in the "Deployed Adoption" team. They are the ones who send letters and care packages once a month to a service member for the entirety of their deployment. So, as soon as these service members sign up, their names/information are added to the wait-list. These names are then given to the volunteers in the L-W-T. Once they've been adopted by an angel their information is removed from the list. After you've sent your letter you log how much you spent, and if you wrote to a certain assigned troop more than once. That's it! I normally write between two to four letters a month depending on my schedule. It normally consists of some information about myself, my family life, our community, some words of encouragement, and just letting them know how grateful I am for the work that they do. It’s that simple. Sometimes you hear back from the person you wrote, and other times you don’t. But that’s basically the point of being on the L-W-T. You are sending out some positivity to troops who may not be hearing from home that frequently. It’s meant to help them pass the time, or be a bit of a distraction while they wait for their long-term angel volunteer.
Now as someone who has a very inconsistent schedule I found that this organization is a perfect fit for me. It’s a way for me to give back, a way to support our troops, and I’m able to do it whenever I have the free time. This was the major selling point for me. My experience with this organization has been great so far too. They have Facebook groups for each team that you can join, and they send out emails a couple of times a month to just check in or let you know about certain events going on. When I first started I was a little clueless about the procedures, the do's & don'ts, and everyone was really helpful. I’m hoping that by next year I’ll be able to join the Deployed Adoption team, but right now I’m on a pretty strict budget. For the time being, I’ll stick to writing letters or sending cards. So, if this sounds like something that you may be interested in I highly suggest you check them out, and if you have any questions feel free to reach out!
