Veterans Services specialist Diane Bates oversees the Valentines for Veterans booth at Club Rush on Jan. 27. (Courtesy of Express News)
Salt Lake Community College Veterans Services recently kicked off its annual Valentines for Veterans program to deliver greetings and treats to veterans and active duty service members all over the world.
“It is a small way that we can reach out and let our military men and women know we care,” says Veterans Services specialist Diane Bates.
For the eighth straight year, Veterans Services has teamed up with the non-profit group “Angels in Action,” as well as local schools and churches to hand make valentines and treats for delivery to vets at the VA hospitals, VA nursing homes and VA homeless shelters.
Deployed service members also receive valentines from the group.
For a dollar donation, students and faculty can write a personal valentine message or purchase a pre-made “Angels in Action” valentine at booths in various locations on the SLCC campuses.
Veterans Services has asked for help within the campus community with reading and sorting the valentines, delivering the valentines, providing candy and postage for the valentines and providing names of deployed service members.
According to a Veterans Services Facebook post, the valentine gifts are sent out to the various service and ex-service member groups until the supply has been exhausted. The post also reads in part that the initial goal to get them sent out is Feb. 14, but if the gifts are a little late, service members don’t seem to mind.
“We have sent out over 80,000 valentines in the past eight years,” Bates says. “This is just one way that the Veterans Services here at SLCC is one of the best in the country.”
