High school students collect Christmas cards for troops
American soldiers are going to receive some local Christmas cheer from Berkeley Springs High School.
Seniors Samantha Michael and Samantha Holt are in the school’s Tri-Music Honor Society and decided to collect Christmas cards for troops overseas. Their music teacher Lee Cheek had suggested the idea of “Holiday Mail for Heroes” from the American Red Cross website.
The pair collected 632 signed Christmas cards to send to U. S. service members and veterans around the world. The cards were boxed up and mailed December 8 and are on route to their destinations.
Through the program, cards would be forwarded to wounded soldiers recovering in hospitals and troops who were deployed overseas and wouldn’t be home for the holidays.
Michael and Holt asked other members of the music honor society to bring in Christmas cards for students to sign and they brought some too.
Many expressed their appreciation and support for the men and women that are serving in the armed forces. A lot of people put personal messages on the cards like “Thank you so much for your sacrifice,” said Michael.
Cards couldn’t be in an envelope since they each had to be checked before being mailed overseas. They also couldn’t have any inserts or contain glitter. The glitter could interfere with patient equipment and health, Holt said.
The girls were surprised by the huge response to their card drive. Each day of the three-day drive they ran out of Christmas cards. Students sought them out, asking if they could sign cards for the troops.
“It was pretty nice to see people wanting to help someone we’ve never met who’s doing a lot for us,” Michael said.
It was nice to see that kids cared and good to see people taking time to write “Thanks for your service,” she added. One student signed 17 cards during their lunch hour and another wrote a two-page note on their card.
When asked about the overwhelming response to their card drive for troops, Holt replied, “It feels awesome. You just feel so happy inside to make someone’s life better,” she said.
They both hope that the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” card drive for troops will become an annual project for the Tri-Music Honor Society.
The society is similar to the National Honor Society, but is for music. Students have to have at least a 2.0 grade point average, a 3.0 in music class and one semester in music performing arts, they said.
Holt and Michael have been in band since sixth grade and in jazz band since ninth grade. Michael plays trumpet and Holt plays alto saxophone.
