From Our Hearts

Boxes Received Earlier This Month

From Madison, WI, a box of 302 cards arrived from Marlene S -

And each one a birthday card!

Beautifully crafted, and this is just about as many cards as we place in each box we ship overseas.  Of course, we put a variety in each "all occasion" box that we mail over -

Marlene made many masculine birthday cards and we sure appreciate receiving these.

Our thanks to Marlene for her continued support!

Barb  T from Massillon, OH mailed a box of 58 cards and a note to us:

"I recently met with the Kiwanis Club of Belden Village (North Canton, OH) to help them with a lunch-time service project.  The men and women and their guests stamped and assembled the pick and red valentines that are in the box.  They were all first time stampers and they did a wonderful job!  They've also enclosed a donation for postage."

We agree!  The Valentines are beautiful!

And we appreciate the Kiwanis Club members choosing From Our Hearts as their service project ---it is our service men and women who are benefiting from their "hard" work!

Barb included pens in the box, too-

Our thanks to Barb and the men and women of the Kiwanis Club of Belden Village!

Our next contributor is one who sends us boxes on a regular basis. Karla R is from Benson, NC.  Karla sent us 109 and a cash contribution  - thank you!

58 of the cards were Valentines, and we appreciate Karla getting them to us in time for our shipment.  The rest?  A variety - birthday, friendship, sympathy - - -

Hi/hello, miss shoe (you!)

and love yous, too -

We appreciate Karla's support, again, and look forward to receiving more in the future.

 

 

From A Thankful Wife

Dear From Our Hearts,

Thank you so much for the special cards your group of volunteers made and sent to our soldiers overseas.  My husband just returned home from Iraq and while he was deployed he often sent one of your hand made cards.  His mission and workload was very challenging and he couldn't write very much in the cards.  But each card he sent me and my two sons was so special to me because I knew he used the theme of the card he picked to share his thoughts.

So, your cards touched our lives very closely and helped our family through a difficult year.

Thank you for supporting our soldiers and their families!

God Bless America!

Merry Christmas!

Susan J

(Please thank Sacred Heart Church of Anniston, Alabama!)

Valentine Shipment and 2012 Shipment Dates

Valentines will be shipped the first week of January, originally scheduled to be mailed out January 2 - but will be mailed out on January 5 - this is our MAILING date - so there is still time to get them to us!

The dates for our 2012 shipments will be posted in the near future - as a rule of thumb, shipments will be mailed 6-8 weeks PRIOR to the holiday.  So take a look at your calendars and count backward - and you will be able to judge when the cards will be needed.

With the holidays and all that comes with it, (and Santa did not bring Martie a 2012 calendar!!), there has been little time to devote to this detail but a promise that the blog will be updated soon with the 2012 mailing dates.

We appreciate the response we have received for Valentines - and the boxes are beginning to fill up - we are thankful and grateful to all who have taken the time and made the effort to send card to help us out.  The boxes are not yet half full, but we are happy with the promise of many boxes that are in the mail!

We hope that this holiday season has brought health, happiness and joy to all and we pray for the safety of our servicemen and women who are away from their families, friends and loved ones - we will continue to support them until they all return home!

From all of us . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

PA, IN, TX Stampers Help FOH

From Gardners, PA, a new contributor, Judy S sent a box of cards made by Wenksville United Methodist Women - and their 76 cards are most welcome!

Their note to us: "Made during our meeting to give thanks" and we appreciate it so.

Lovely cards - and the detail?  Even envelopes were stamped!

Just about every occasion card was made - from love you, baby, hi/hello to Valentine's Day - we found just about one of each. 

Our thanks to the women of Wenksville United Methodist Church for taking the time to stamp for the troops and in support of our effort.  We know these cards will be well received.

Mary M has been busy with turning card fronts into cards - and just look at the result - 90 Thank You cards that arrived in time for the extra shipment that was mailed out earlier this month:

Lovely cards - and each one a result of the many card fronts donated to From Our Hearts from so many of you -

Mary "glitz's" them up - adding ribbon, stamps where needed and adds the extra touch - and we think she does a great job!  She donates the card stock (bases) and adhesive, too - and we cannot thank her enough for all she donates to our cause.  The cards arrive "box ready" - as she puts them inside a clear envelope with and envelope (provided by From Our Hearts and from contributions from so many of you) and with a slip, too.  thank you, Mary, for keeping the cards coming!

Lina W, from El Paso, TX shipped us another package - and all Valentines - and once more, our camera went on the blink, but we were able to get one photograph!

She writes:  "I am working on some other cards and will mail them when I am done."

Thank you!! We appreciate the continued support Lina gives us - she knows hows the impact just one card makes!!!

 

Our Thanks to Elaine S and Brandi W For Their Contributions

Boxes were received from:

Brandi W (Wellington, TX) on 10/31 - 137 cards, Christmas and many other all occasion cards

-and-

Elaine S (Tonganoxie, KS) on 11/10 - 200 cards and pens to include in the boxes - all Christmas cards -

And only photos of the outside of their boxes were taken -

Our apologies!!! We sure wish we could turn back the hands of time and take photos of the CARDS that were inside the boxes -

We wish to acknowledge their contributions and to say, thank you!!!

 

The Thank Yous Keep Coming In . . .

From Our Hearts is so pleased to pass on these thank you letters received:

Thank you so much for all the wonderful handmade cards.  I have enjoyed sending them to my family.

God Bless you all,

Angela H

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Martha,

WOW!! You have made a TREMENDOUS impact on the lives of many of my troops and mine more than anyone.  To see smiles on faces and to know it will help the spirits of many.  God Bless you all for everything you do and everything that you continue to do - paying it forward.

Randy "Tool Time" T

Camp Leatherneck

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Dear Susan and the other volunteers,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I love these cards.  I have cards from:

- Carroll Wellness Center - Seniors, Papershakers

- Jan M

- Carroll County, VA Teachers

- plus more!

These cards are the best!  I am the card girl in the area at Camp Eggers.  Our "MWR" shop gets cards and I organize them.  And the cards you sent me, I set up a card library for the office.  Some people out of the office have asked if they can look through our cards at my office - the JAG office.  I am the prosecutor for the Army (and all the US Forces) in the Kabul, Afghanistan area.

Thank you again for making these cards and sending them to the troops.

Tara M

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Thanks for the box!  We are greatly appreciative!  Take care,

SGT B

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Dear From Our Hearts,

On behalf of the commander and the Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component, thank you for your continued kindness and generosity.  Your handcrafted cards provide yet another special and unique way for our warriors to keep in touch with their families and friends back home.

As a fellow American and a dedicated service member, I'm deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and care that you so freely give on behalf of the precious men and women who serve our great Nation.  You're truly counted among the many great Americans who help make these warriors' difficult and sometimes dangerous mission just a little bit easier.

Again, thank you for your continued support, labor of love, and enduring patriotism!

An American Airman,

Matthew G

Command Chief

A Thank You to The High Desert Stampers

An e-mail of thanks received at the home office of From Our Hearts recently:

I just want to say thank you for the beautiful cards,  I found a few handcrafted cards made by the High Desert Stampers from Hesperia, California.   I send them  to my family and friends, it's wonderful that people take the time to create cards for us to use.  Thank you once again.

LTC M, currently in Afghanistan.   =

From Canada and Maine, Cards And More Arrive

From Abbottsford BC, Barb S sent us another box, all the way from Canada!  We love the support we receive from our northern neighbors!

Barb used our inventory sheet, and this makes our job easy - and all her cards arrived with envelopes and clear envelopes - we appreciate it!

Anniversary, Baby, Birthday, Love you, Miss you, Thinking of You -

and some cards for kids, too!  Such a treat to open boxes like Barb's - and we thank Barb for supporting our cause and our effort!

The Mainely Caring Cardmakers from Woolwich, Maine sent us more double sided tape in their box- 58 rolls - and wow, what a blessing this is as we use so much of it!  Headed up by Phyllis M, the Mainely Caring Cardmakers have gone above and beyond!

Assorted embellishments and ribbons were mailed along, too -

And cards of course!  32 very sweet cards!

For Valentine's Day, and of course, just to say

"I love you"

These cards are in the boxes that are being readied for shipment - and we appreciate their contribution - each card sent to us helps to fill up the many boxes we mail over every 4-6 weeks.

Our many thanks to Barb and to the Mainly Caring Cardmakers for their continued support!

A Special Thanks to Beverly and Elaine

A post card was recently received, addressed "Special thanks to Beverly G"

"Thank you for the beautiful cards!  I used the most recent card to send to my daughter for her 19th birthday.  I am serving in Northern Afghanistan and picked up a card at the USO in Bagram.  Thank you!

-signed- K  Wood

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And a letter was received, addressed to Elaine.  Her slip was enclosed, so we were able to track her down as we keep a database and record "slip" information.  The letter:

From Our Hearts recently received a thank you addressed to you and they enclosed your slip.  It reads:

“I just want to thank you for your gifts of cards.  They are beautiful and so thoughtful.  I saw so many and took as many as I could.  I have a three yr old daughter and send her one each week.  She loves them so much.

I just want to say thank you!”

-signed WO1 Yessennia J, Bagram Air Field

PS Happy Holidays!

This  is why we encourage our contributors to customize the slip we place in each and every card,  It is nice that our recipients are able to say a special thank you to those of you who take the time to create these memories for our service men and women!  Both Beverly and Elaine were notified of their special thank yous!