OPERATION THANKS FOR FREEDOM - FINAL UPDATE

GREAT JOB, EVERYONE!!!! I just got finished counting the 4th of July cards, etc... the grand total of cards & emails that will be shipped to soldiers/Marines all over Iraq tomorrow morning is..... 2,895!! Also sending out ten phone cards someone graciously donated, as well. HOOAH! (or OOH-RAH! for you Marines out there...)

Thanks everyone for a job MOST well done!!! :) Stay tuned for the annual Christmas/holiday card drive, scheduled to start October 1 to Nov. 24!

Operation: Thanks for Freedom 2007 Update

Just a quick note to let you know that I should have an official, final count of how many cards were collected for troops overseas this evening. I am very sorry I didn't have the final count done sooner...however, between our trip to Washington, DC and hubby's unexpected heat stroke & subsequent hospitalization, I fell way behind on counting and reading them all. Thanks to several awesome local friends, they have all be read (to ensure approriate content) and sorted, etc.... tonight I'll have them all back and will give you the official final total. My rough guestimation as of right now is that it's at least 2,000 cards, hopefully close to 3,000...but we'll see tonight! :)

OPERATION: THANKS FOR FREEDOM 2007!

THIS POST WILL STAY "STICKIED" TO THE TOP OF THE BLOG UNTIL THE CARD DRIVE IS OVER - NEW POSTS WILL APPEAR BELOW!

OPERATION: THANKS FOR FREEDOM!
Fourth of July Card Drive for Troops


Let's show our troops we love and support them! Starting NOW, I will be collecting cards to send to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you wish to participate, please send light-hearted, silly, cheerful, and encouraging cards to this address:

Mrs. Kat Orr
Operation: Thanks for Freedom!
P.O. Box 1660
Loganville, GA 30052

You may also send a e-mail of support to the following email address: LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Any e-mail received to this e-mail account will be printed and mailed, together with the cards.
The cards can be handmade or store-bought... for that matter, they don't even have to be cards; a hand -written letter is just as wonderful! Let's all band together and overwhelm our heroes with support! This is a great project for Scout troops, churches, or other organizations to get involved with!

ALL CARDS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2007

(Please do NOT seal the envelopes)

Thank you so much for supporting our troops!

If you have any questions about this campaign, please e-mail me at LoveFromHome@gmail.com. Also, you might wish join my Yahoo Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveFromHome in order to receive updates about the progress of this and other card drives.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a "dating service" of any type. Please do not send suggestive or otherwise inappropriate cards or pictures. I will be reading and screening every Card received to ensure that the above guidelines are adhered to (please DO NOT seal the envelope)! Any card deemed inappropriate will not be sent! Remember: This is strictly to let the troops know that we love them, we are proud of them and that we HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN them!

**IMPORTANT NOTE 2: This card drive is an individual effort and not done in conjunction with or on behalf of any organizations or groups

THIS POST WILL STAY "STICKIED" TO THE TOP OF THE BLOG UNTIL THE CARD DRIVE IS OVER - NEW POSTS WILL APPEAR BELOW!

Operation: Thanks For Freedom in the News

Another wonderful article has been written about Operation: Thanks for Freedom! This appeared in the Sunday edition of the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Sending letters shows troops your support

04/29/2007

James M. Foote of Buford wrote a poignant letter to the editor on April 11. He called to task people who claim to support our troops, and presented a 12-point “prove-it” test so people can judge for themselves just how much they are really doing to support the troops.

Read the rest HERE.....

I don't have an "exact" number to update everyone with of the cards collected so far - I'm still in the process of reading & counting them. My guesstimation is that I have slightly less than 400 towards the goal of 5,000 or more. My trip to the post office today again left me walking away empty-handed. However, I know there are folks all over the country working on this and along with the above article, word is getting out, and that will soon change! :) The first 3 weeks are always slow - things pick up exponentially after that. :)

Saturday, I had a booth at a local community festival, Grayson Days. In five hours, all the 300+ cards I'd brought with me were signed, and folks still asking for more! Awesome! Next weekend will be a long one -- I'll be appearing at the Snellville Days festival, which is a MAJOR, two-day event. I anticipate getting SEVERAL hundred cards each day (hopefully, they put our booth in a good spot - that will determine a lot!). Keep your fingers crossed and say a few prayers!