Kids Write Letters to Soldiers at Mineola Library

Every time Alexandria S. visits the children’s room in the , she looks through the upcoming events. The Letters for Soldiers Volunteer Program, held last week in the library community room, caught her eye and she signed up, seeing it as a chance to brighten a soldier’s day.

“I think it’s really amazing that people risk their life for our country,” she said last Monday night, adding that the event sounded like a fun idea. She wrote one letter to a wounded serviceman and one letter to a veteran. “I told them thank you for risking your life.”

Open to students in grades 6 to 12 as a way to show appreciation to those who have fought for this country, each child was given a white sheet of paper with the library’s address on it, in case the soldier wanted to send a reply. Children could also put their own e-mail on the letter if they wanted a personal response from the soldier.

The letters were then given to Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends over 100,000 care packages each year to deployed troops and Wounded Warriors. Each package includes “personal letters of appreciation” written by children to show their support.

Youth services librarian Vivian Yuan saw a flyer from Operation Gratitude which that said a letter to a soldier “only takes five minutes of your day, but will bring lasting joy to our troops” and decided to host a letter-writing event.

“I saw their website online asking for letters to soldiers, so I decided to make it a library program for the children,” she said.

This is the first time the library has given children the opportunity to write to soldiers overseas, holding canned goods drives in the past. Yuan hopes to hold this event again and open it up to younger children.

Each of the children were encouraged to express their thanks for the “selfless service” service members have done and to talk a little about themselves. In addition, Yuan told the children to talk about what’s going on in the United States to update the servicemen overseas about what is happening at home.

“I felt like I wanted to tell the people fighting that they’re not alone,” said Edwin M., who wrote two letters. “I told them the news about what’s going on here, that we honor what they do, and thank you.”