Christmas cards show soldiers how much you care

November 10, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Each November, Dianne Harrison gathers Christmas cards and sends them on their way, a process undoubtedly carried out by countless Aurorans each year, even beyond the advent of email.
But these are not your ordinary Christmas cards. As she separates and organizes the letters, boxes them up, and makes sure they are correctly marked for their ultimate destination, she pauses.
“I hold every box and pray over that box for a soldier that receives a card in there,” Ms. Harrison explains. “I pray that they are truly blessed, they know we care about them, and we pray they come home safe.”
Now, through November 28, Ms. Harrison is collecting Christmas Cards and letters for Canadian servicemen and women posted overseas, an initiative now in its 12th year.
Ms. Harrison took over the program after the death of a friend whose own son served in Afghanistan.
Last year, her goal was to collect 300 letters from throughout York Region but, in the end, they received a staggering 621 submissions. Buoyed by that success, she has set an even more ambitious target: a whopping 2,000.
Or, in the words of Ms. Harrison, “a monster goal” she is sure she can reach with the community’s help.
“Aurora has got such a big heart,” she says. “I know people in Aurora can pitch in and make our 2,000 goal attainable.”
“It is our duty as a citizen to remember, and not just on Remembrance Day and Christmastime, but every day of the year,” says Ms. Harrison. “We may not agree with war, but we have to support our soldiers and they need to know that we care and are thinking of them.”
If you would like to let soldiers know you’re thinking of them as the holidays approach, drop boxes for letters are now in place at the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex, Aurora Family Leisure Complex, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Aurora Seniors’ Centre, the Aurora Public Library, and The Auroran, as well as area places of worship Northridge Community Church (Salvation Army), Gathering Place, and the Campus Bayview (Bayview and Hollidge).
“I tell people to just put ‘Hero’ on the envelope because they are our modern day heroes, and to note how much you care,” says Ms. Harrison. “We have had children who have had Christmas cards back from soldiers in Afghanistan, Poland and all over the world to tell them how much they appreciated it. A number of years ago, my brother, who lives in Aurora, had a soldier come to his door in July and ask if he was John Wood. He was, and the soldier said, ‘I just wanted to let you know I received your Christmas card last year and how much it means to us that people back home remember us.’
“Another friend of mine sent many Christmas cards and one of the cards she got back was from a buddy who had received her Christmas card and how much joy it had brought him. It was the only Christmas card he received and then the day after he received it he was killed. It was so important that he received that card and that somebody cared about him.”
As the initiative grows in numbers, so too do the number of community organizations getting involved. A seniors group in Aurora, for instance, has turned one of their regular bridge parties into a letter writing party, while residents of a local retirement home are also getting into the spirit.
“If we hit 2,000 this year, I will have to make another goal next year!” says Ms. Harrison.
To write our soldiers, simply drop it into one of the boxes at the above locations. For more information, email Ms. Harrison at bdharrison2012@gmail.com or call 905-955-1977.