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Sponsored by
VETERANS
and their supporters in 56 chapters, posts, detachments and units of the:
American Legion:
Fairfield Post 74, Shelton Post 16, Fairfield Post 143, Derby Post 24, Milford Post 196, Seymour Post 10, Wallingford Post 187, Orange Post 127
Disabled American Veterans:
Stamford Ch. 13, Fairfield Ch.19, Enfield Ch. 52, Greater New Haven Ch. 2, Derby Ch. 4, Milford Ch. 15, Manchester Ch. 17, Bristol Ch. 5, West Haven Ch.18, Middletown Ch. 7
Marine Corps League:
Stamford Detachment 910
Military Order of the Purple Heart:
Shelton/Derby Ch. 1, Greater New Haven Ch. 103, New Britain Ch. 51, Darien Ch. 1932, Enfield Ch. 552
Veterans of Foreign Wars:
Fairfield Post 9427, Derby Post 10585, Ansonia Post 597, Huntington Post 10466
Also sponsored by: State HQ of CT: American Legion, AMVETS, DAV, MOPH, & VVA,
And: Vietnam Combat Vets Mon. & Tues. Evening Groups from the New Haven Vet Center, Employees of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.,
Gary Plassman (Vietnam veteran), Actress Ellen Muth, the Order of Sons and Daughters of Italy in America West Haven Lodge 2832, the Affinion Group, the Vets Who Care Committee, Naugatuck Valley and Derby Boy Scout Troop 3, the Westport Fire Department, No Vet Left Behind, Milford Knights of Columbus, Ken Bundy (Vietnam veteran), Family and Tues. morning Group of the West Haven V. A. Hospital, the Union Memorial Church, Adam Leapley family, Massachusetts AMVETS, Veterans of Korea, Vietnam and Saudi Wars, the Connecticut GTO Club, the Fairfield Fire Department, District 1 AMVETS, the Beau Keen Family, and the St. Joseph High School Boys Lacrosse Team.
* Each Sponsor (has the option of sending a representative to hand deliver their thank you kits) has purchased a minimum of $500.00 in post exchange gift certificates for the wounded. Several sponsors have purchased over $20,000 in gift certificates during the duration of Operation Gift Cards. Contributions are listed at the bottom of the page.
Since October 2005, the Operation Gift Cards' 69 monthly/bi-monthly visits have presented 10,705 thank you kits which contained $214,100 in military store gift cards to our wounded troops. An additional $131,526 in other gift cards and special group product donations (Girl Scout cookies, corporate gift certificates, etc.) have been delivered to the Soldier Family Assistance Center, the Fisher Houses, the Mologne House, the Navy Lodge, the Red Cross, and the Bethesda Casualty Affairs Office, along with over $50,000 worth items on the "wish list" (listed below) for both the wounded troops and their families.
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Click for a printable pdf version of
OGC Summary Page,
OGC Sample Thank You Kit
PRESS RELEASES:
2011
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2010
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Operation Gift Cards was started to:
* Thank our wounded or injured troops (personally when possible) for their service to their country and for their sacrifice for freedom.
* Present all visited wounded or injured patients in Walter Reed and Bethesda Military Hospitals with 3 or more "Thank You" kits, each including a $20 gift card enclosed in a specially designed thank you card (with group photo) from the sponsoring chapter, post, or detachment.
* Inform the patients about the free programs the sponsoring organization has developed that help our troops, our veterans, and their families.
* Provide a means for veterans organizations, other groups and individuals to donate items from the "Wish List" of both Family Medical Assistance Program and the Bethesda Fisher Houses
and present them to the patients or mentioned groups.
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During the typical monthly Operation Gift Cards visit at Walter Reed and Bethesda Military Hospitals in Washington D. C. each of our visited troops, (who were wounded or injured in Iraq or Afghanistan) receive between $60.00 and $120.00 in military store gift cards. The gift cards are enclosed in the thank you kits from 159 representatives of 56 groups and and individuals.
Connecticut veterans participating on Operation Gift Cards have also been delivering, to the wounded, items on the Soldier's Family Assistance Center's and the Fisher Houses "Wish List" as listed at bottom of page. We would be glad to deliver any of the wish list items on our monthly visits for anyone donating them.
To participate in Operation Gift Cards or for additional information contact either Al Meadows (203) 929-3357 (e-mail: al.meadows@snet.net). Or read the OGC summary page or the OGC information flyer (both can be downloaded from above in the yellow box). Operation Gift Cards will be an ongoing project; check our Web site for future events and our progress reports.
SOLDIERS FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER WISH LIST
(FOR THE WOUNDED TROOPS):
DVD Movies, music CDs (from top 20 cd list), games for Xbox, games for playstation 2, batteries AA, AAA, C and D, portable CD players, portable DVD players, disposable cameras, electric razors, quality magazines, puzzle and crosswoed books, books and paperbacks, flip flops, plain black backpacks, duffle bags, boxer shorts Large & XLarge, sneakers (with Velcro) Male 8-13 Female 6-12
FISHER HOUSE WISH LIST
(FOR FAMILIES OF THE WOUNDED):
Commissary (food purchases) and Exchange (department store) post exchange gift certificates for families, taxi gift certificates (Taxi Company-Barwood 1-800-831-2323), Metro transportation gift certificates, restaurant cards (in DC), phone cards greater than 60 minutes, Gift Certificates from Staples, Home Depot, Office Depot, CVS, Giant, Target and Safeway. VCR/DVD combination players, umbrellas and rain ponchos. Auto shut off irons and ironing boards. Air mattresses with pumps. Non-perishable foods and snacks, condiments, ketchup, mustard, peanut butter, coffee, tea, sugar, sweeteners, coffee creamers, cereal bars & pop tarts, single serving sizes of canned goods and convenience foods that do not require refrigeration. Things easy to take on the go to the hospital.
Consumables
: toilet paper, Kleenex, laundry detergent, bleach, fabric sheets for dryer, paper towels, napkins, batteries AA, AAA, C and D, light bulbs 60 watts (energy efficient), cleaning supplies, soft scrub, sponges, toilet cleaners, dish washer detergent, liquid soap refills. Tooth brushes, toothpaste, deodorant, disposable razors and shave cream.
Representatives from Connecticut veterans groups will hand deliver, each month, any items donated for the wounded troops or their families.
Sponsors are listed at top of this page.
Each Sponsor has purchased a minimum of $500.00 in PX gift certificates for the wounded. Several sponsors have purchased over $10,000 in gift certificates. All 47 sponsors have delivered their own unit's thank you kits to the wounded.
Contributors:
Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation - $20,000 in grants
Employees of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford Plant over $20,000
Gold - $1,000 or more
Affinion Group
Hollander Foundation, Inc.
Patrons of Riverside Diner
Soldiers' Angels
Spectrum Associates, Inc.
Gary Plassman (Vietnam Veteran)
Silver - $500-$999
Ken Bundy Family
Clayton Holdings, Inc.
Marine Corps League, Housatonic Detachment
Royal Bakery Patrons
Ulbrich Stainless Steel and Speciality Metals, Inc
Union Memorial Church - Stamford
Bronze - $100-$499
Bridgeport Elks Lodge 36
Jack Bass
Bob Chechoski
Connecticut GTO Club
Corvette Club of CT
John and Mary Cox
Huntington VFW Post 10466
Kathleen Downer
Tom Evans
PME Enterprises
Frances Murphy
Richard Volpe
John and Janis Panagrossi
Sixpack - Katherine Pando
James Stutz Paving
Vets Who Care
Honorable Mention - $50-$99
Rich and Susanne Alcott
Robert Farrell
Bob Grier Photography
Paul E. Krasiejko
Claire D. Krohn
Hartford Jewish War Veterans
Wayne and Mary Spinei
Warnaco Industries
Special Thanks to:
Girl Scouts of Connecticut for donating cookies worth over $80,000
Veterans of Foreign Wars Dept.of Connecticut for donating Hallmark greeting cards worth over $31,000
Affinion Group for donating $3,500 in corporate gift certificates (in addition to co-sponsoring one month)
Matt Frovarp and Boy Scout Troop 3, Derby Connecticut. As his Eagle Scout project, Matt collected $16,500 "Wish List" items for distibution to our wounded troops and their families with the assistance of his troop.
CSC (Computer Science Corp.) for donating 24 laptop computers equiped with web cams which were supplied by the Southington American Legion and other groups.
Site last updated
Thursday, May 12, 2011
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9:48 PM
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