About Holiday Mail for Heroes.

Holiday Mail for Heroes

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Holiday Mail for Heroes Program Overview

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Holiday Mail for Heroes 2011
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Card Guidelines:
Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.
Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

• All cards being sent in for 2011 Holiday Mail For Heroes program should be postmarked no later than Friday, December 9, 2011.
• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• We encourage participants to mail as many cards as they are comfortable sending. If you are mailing a large quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes or use a flat rate box from the post office. Each card does not need its own envelope, as cards will be removed from all envelopes before distribution.
• Please refrain from sending holiday cards with glitter. Many of these cards will be delivered to military and veterans medical facilities and the glitter could interfere with a patient’s recovery

“The holiday season is the perfect time to reach out and send thanks to those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. You can send a “touch of home” to members of the military and their families who are dedicated to defending our country and are often times away from home during the holidays. This program is brought to you by the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes.

It’s Easy to Send a Card:

1. Select Your Card Design
2. Type in Your Message
3. Choose Your Quantity
4. Pay and Send

We will print your card with your message and mail it to a deserving member of the U.S. Armed Forces or their family.”

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Since 2007, Pitney Bowes and the American Red Cross have worked together to provide Americans with the opportunity to extend holiday greetings and thanks to service members and veterans through the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. Since its inception, the program has received more than three million holiday cards from generous Americans in every state. 

This season, we are hoping that you will join us and Americans all over the country to help continue the campaign’s success and reach this year’s goal of one million holiday cards.

From sending individual cards and organizing card making events, to connecting with fellow card senders through social media channels to help us get the word out; there are many ways you can become involved with Holiday Mail for Heroes.

Visit, redcross.org/holidaymail for more information about the program, and to see how people across the country participated in last year’s campaign.

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About American National Red Cross

* Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation’s premier emergency response organization. As part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering.

Today, in addition to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers compassionate services in five other areas: community services that help the needy; support and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs that promote health and safety; and international relief and development programs.

The American Red Cross is where people mobilize to help their neighbors—across the street, across the country, and across the world—in emergencies. Each year, in communities large and small, victims of some 70,000 disasters turn to neighbors familiar and new—the more than half a million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross. Through nearly 700 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world.

Some four million people give blood—the gift of life—through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. And the Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of 186 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world’s most vulnerable people.

An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

The American National Red Cross is headquartered in Washington, Gail J. McGovern is President and CEO, and Bonnie McElveen-Hunter is Chairman of the Board of Governors.

**  The above story is adapted from materials provided by American Red Cross

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