Twenty-Two Days Left Before Memorial Day; 22 Ways to Honor Our Vets

In the 22 Days leading up to Memorial Day 2012, here is a list of simple things that you can do right now to honor our VETs.

1. DONATE your change to the ‘Give Thanks by Giving Back™’ fundraiser hosted by local downtown Lisle businesses; read more about it under the EVENTS page of the LislePatch.

Four other ways to donate locally:

• ® has customers who are active duty service members; you can purchase a Gift Certificate in the amount of your choosing and donate it to an active duty member so that they don't have to pay for their bras and undergarments on their next visit.
• can make a flag frame that you can donate to honor the memory of a Veteran or fallen soldier.
• can make an arrangement for you to donate to the Lisle VFW Post #5696 so that they can place it on a grave of one of our fallen soldiers.
• You can purchase gift cards or certificates to donate to a VET, an active duty family, or our local VFW Post #5696 at , , , , , , , and other downtown Lisle businesses.

2. Buy a United States flag that you can display in your window.

Remember: the stars should always be visible in the upper left hand area of the display, and a US flag should never touch the ground or be soiled in any way.

3. Write a Vet a 'Thank You' letter and drop it by a VFW or Foreign Legion post in your area. The Lisle VFW Post #5696 is at 1209 Center Street, just one [1] block
south of Main Street in Lisle, Illinois.

4. Visit the Wounded Warrior website and find out how you can honor our VETs: www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

5. Visit the USO website to read about their mission and find out ways that you can support our troops: www.uso.org/

6. Visit the FamilyofaVet website and participate in their virtual efforts: http://www.familyofavet.com/

7. Participate in the ‘Love Letter Campaign,’ by writing a Love Letter to a
service member: http://www.familyofavet.com/love_letters_submission.html

8. Volunteer at a VA Hospital in your area. For a list of VA Hospitals in
Illinois, go to: http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/state.asp?state=il

9. Visit the American Battle Monuments Commission website: http://www.abmc.gov/home.php and read more about their mission. As part of their Andrews Project, the ABMC can arrange to have a floral arrangement placed on the grave of one of our soldiers. Email them to find out more: info@abmc.gov

10. Purchase useful items that you can easily add to your weekly grocery budget, including; magazines, coffee, cookies and telephone cards; then donate them for use by the VETs who frequent the local VA facilities.

Note: this can be as easy as practicing a 'One for us...One for our Vets' on your favorite staples like coffee, cookies, crackers or snacks.

11. Make a cash donation to a local VA Hospital for the comfort and welfare of VA patients that will be applied towards the purchase of: hygiene products, refreshment supplies, cable television for spinal cord injury patients, recreational activities, etc..

NOTE: if every American donated $1 to help our VETs, that would amount to over $300 million dollars.

12. Donate new or gently used clothing to a local VA Hospital like the following: Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Voluntary Service, 5000 S. Fifth Avenue, Hines, IL
60141, Phone: 708-202-2523, Fax: 708-202-2246

13. Light a candle for a VET at your local church.

14. Say a prayer that our soldiers continue to receive blessings and find a life of abundance waiting for them when they transition from active duty to civilian life.

15. Put our VFW Post 5696, or the one in your area, on your prayer list.

16. Hire a VET; or set up an Internship where a VET can learn a skill that would be useful to an employer in your industry. If you have a special skill, then offer to teach it to a VET or a member of an active duty family.

17. If you are a practicing member of your church, have a mass dedicated to the honor of our VETs and active duty personnel.

18. If you know of a family who has a VET, or active duty member, offer to mow their lawn. Active duty families may need a babysitter from time-to-time; volunteer your services or pay a babysitter to stand in for you.

19. Buy a plant that your local VFW can use to beautify their surroundings; include indoor as well as outdoor plants.

20. Share your bounty: if you've got a garden, don't forget to spread the wealth when harvest time comes. Contact your local VFW or Foreign Legion and ask if they'd like you to drop off some fresh garden produce for their next get-together.

21. Our older VETs may no longer have a spouse or family to surround them; offer to read to them, take them out for a drive or walk around the block if they are able. 

22. Start your own 'Give Thanks by Giving Back™' initiative in your own family or community.

CONTACT: Teri LeDantec-Boswell, Inc. 4745 Main Street, Ste 307, Lisle, IL 60532, 630.800.5845, teriledantec@yahoo.com.