Children make a difference with Soldiers' Angels

A child can and does make a big difference in the lives of our active duty troops, veterans and their families. When children volunteer in supporting our heroes, they learn to understand and value our freedom more.

Some of the ways younger children can help Soldiers’ Angels is by coloring, painting, and drawing pictures and making cards. An adult can hold their hands and walk with them in parades and help them hand out candy and flags to the parade goers. At nursing homes and other functions, they can hand out gifts and goodies. Children have the voices of angels and can sing or read stories to our troops while an adult video tapes it or puts it on cd. Kids can make and decorate Christmas ornaments and other homemade gifts to hand out or mail to our troops. We can purchase Soldiers’ Angels t-shirts, necklaces and bracelets and let them wear them, along with putting them in red on Friday’s. Many of our troops have children at home that they are missing and sending them a touch of home and the insight of a child will bring them lots of joy.

As well as the things the younger children can do, older children have a lot of options. Older children can pick out items to put in care packages and help to pack them. Troops love getting letters from teenagers that tell them about the things they are doing. Older children can do item collections, bake cookies and other treats, hold penny collections, put up a lemonade stand, and have a garage sale. When there is an event, they can help decorate information tables, talk about what Soldiers’ Angels does and hand out brochures and flyers. My teen angel volunteers have gone with me to Standdowns and helped hand out the Vet Packs to homeless veterans. Older children can also collect stuffed animals, toys, and school supplies and donate books they have outgrown. Teenagers can get with their peers and organize car washes, basketball hoop contests, bike rallies, troop runs or jump rope contests. They may also find it rewarding to volunteer at VA hospitals. One of the most important things they can do for our troops and veterans is to hold the door open for them, help them with their groceries, and say Thank You for their Service.

So, encourage your children and teenagers to get involved with Soldiers’ Angels and show their pride and respect for America. There are so many ways a child can share their smiles and wisdom.