City of Lakewood, LA recently issued the following announcement.
For the seventh consecutive year, Lakewood’s “Thank a Servicemember” campaign invited residents, businesses and community groups to take a moment to share their appreciation for U.S. servicemembers serving overseas.
Each year, the city designs a special postcard for the effort, and this year’s card contains the message “Though distant, you’re still close to our hearts…from Lakewood, California.”
Several individuals and groups helped significantly with this year’s efforts. Original Lakewood resident Alleen Cooper has been a dedicated composer of letters to our troops, penning 8,000-plus over many years, going back to World War II. Even at 102, Alleen has remained steadfast in her commitment to correspondence with servicemembers with an impressive 102 letters this year (yes, one for each of her years)! She continues to be Lakewood’s superstar letter-writer.
And while the majority of children have been in distance-learning mode, several participated in the campaign. “On behalf of the Lakewood City Council, I want to give a a virtual high five of appreciation to the children of Riley Elementary School, Boy Scout Troop 65, Camp Fire Tuhwaki Ahma Group, Pony Time at Lakewood Equestrian Center and Bethany Lutheran GEMS who added nearly 200 to our total,” said Mayor Todd Rogers.
Since the launch of Lakewood's 'Thank a Servicemember' campaign in 2014, more than 35,000 cards, letters and even hand-drawn pictures crafted by Lakewood residents, businesses and community groups have been sent to U.S. military servicemembers stationed overseas during the holidays. They are shipped via the military support group Operation Gratitude.
Safety was a priority in this year’s letter-writing campaign, and participants had several options to get involved that were contact-free.
“Now, more than ever, our servicemembers deserve our gratitude for their continued sacrifices,” said Mayor Rogers. “Thank you for all who took the time to give Lakewood’s appreciation to the brave men and women who defend our freedoms and keep us safe.”
Original source can be found here.
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