Veterans Day is Friday, November 11th and I wanted to do something special with the children’s department to give back to all of the people who have fought for our country and sacrificed so much for us!
Veterans Day holds a special place in my heart as my grandfather was in World War II and fought in seven major battles during the course of the war. Growing up, he always shared his war stories with our family members and he was proud to have served this country and to be a veteran. He always wore his World War II Veteran hat proudly and had the medals he earned on display in his home, along with the American flag.
Since my grandfather passed away a little over a year ago, I wanted to do something different this veterans day and give back to other service members. I also wanted to teach the children I work with the importance of our veterans and the importance of giving back. I decided to create a children’s program where kids would made crafts and thank you cards for veterans that I would then deliver to the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, NY.
Children came to the library and designed and crafted their own cards to thank veterans for their service and to wish them a “Happy Veterans Day.” They also made paper garland with stars and painted American flags using cotton balls and red, white and blue paint. Finally, we all made a poster with each child’s hand print on it giving veterans “a hand” for serving our country. Everyone did a really beautiful job on their crafts and I was really impressed by their creativity and their sense of gratitude. I delivered the crafts and cards to the Long Island State Veterans Home on Monday, November 7th and the recreation staff will be using the crafts to decorate the common areas and distribute the cards for the day residents on veterans day. Thank you to everyone who participated in this program and a big thank you to all of our veterans! To see the children’s department’s upcoming holiday events, click here!
Happy Veterans Day!
One Comment
What a great idea! It’s so important that children learn early that our freedom is not a gift, but a goal for which many military have sacrificed their lives.