It’s hard to believe this will be our 9th “Holiday Cheer event”!
Once again we’ll be bringing Holiday Cheer to patients and families so far from home at Walter Reed/Bethesda over the holidays!
This year’s “Holiday Cheer will be a little different and consist of:
- A “Holiday Cheer” luncheon on the inpatient surgical ward at Walter Reed, serving all service branches.
- “Elfie Gifts” for a Marine family with children, and two single Marines.
- “Holiday Cheer” Cards Campaign.
We’re pretty excited, and also honored to have this opportunity to serve those who’ve served us and who are so far away from home during the holidays.
See the Elfie details by clicking “continue” or click here for the AAR.
Please note:
The final postmark deadline for “Holiday Cheer” is Monday, November 16, 2015.
The “Holiday Cheer” Luncheon:
Date: Sunday, December 6th, 2015.
Location: Walter Reed.
Serving: In-patients and their families, all service branches, on the 4th floor, the TBI ward, and CCU combat families.
The in-patients may be:
- combat wounded
- combat wounded re-admitted for follow-up surgeries
- regular active duty
- retired Veterans
- injured (examples: non-combat injuries in a combat zone, training accidents, vehicular accidents)
- ill and surgical patients (examples: various illnesses requiring hospital admittance, cancer patients, surgical patients)
“Elfie Gifts”:
A little background: In past years with the help of “Elfs”, we’ve given stockings to the wounded Warriors at our Holiday Cheer luncheons. Stockings left at the end of the luncheon were given to the Marine Corps Liaison Office and the Warrior Family Coordination Cell to distribute on our behalf to wounded Warriors (all service branches) who were unable to be at the luncheon. The cost of stocking sponsorships was $20.00.
Details: With the number of wounded drastically down this year (YAY!), we’ve decided, instead of doing stockings, to adopt a Marine family (with children) and two single Marines (one male and one female) in partnership with the Wounded Warrior Battalion-Walter Reed Detachment.
The Marines may be out-patients, in-patients, or living off-base.
All will be attached to the USMC Wounded Warrior Battalion at Walter Reed.
The gifts will be chosen from a “wish list”. The gifts might be specific items or gift cards, depending on the specific request.
We’ll do the shopping and wrapping, and deliver the gifts to the Marine Detachment at Walter Reed to pass on to the recipients the week of December 1.
This will be “elfie” on our part, too. Because of privacy laws (HIPAA) and security (theirs’ and ours’/yours’), we won’t know who the gifts will be going to unless the recipients contact us through the WWB after they receive the gifts.
There will be documentation to ensure the gifts go where they are intended to go.
We’ll be sponsoring:
1 Marine family: $500.00
2 single Marines: $250.00 each
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Total: $1,000.00
We’ll email our “Elfs” pictures of the gifts after the event and add their name to the “Elf” list on the Holiday Cheer webpage.
Would you like to support the luncheon or the gifts for the family we adopt?
Checks or money orders should be made out to “Marine Moms Bethesda”.
(NO cash, please!)
Please note in the memo line:
“Holiday Cheer Luncheon” or “Holiday Cheer Gifts”.
You will be acknowledged on our Holiday Cheer 2015 page by first name and the state you’re from unless you request otherwise.
Mailing address:
This event has closed.
Final Postmark Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2015.
Thank you for your consideration!
“Holiday Cheer” Cards
This is a great project for Scouts, church or school groups, organizations, or with your family or co-workers.
There are 2 parts to this year’s card campaign:
- We would like to include cards with the “Elfie” gifts, one card from you per each Marine (total one to three cards for this).
- For the luncheon: based on this year’s past luncheons, we would like to bundle 20 packets of cards to give out while we are there on Dec. 6th. So, one to 20 cards from you for the luncheon.
Packets left at the end of the luncheon will be given to the Marines for incoming patients over the holidays.
–> We ask that you please follow our Guidelines for sending cards. <–
1. NO glitter or anything that can fall off and get into open wounds. They can cause secondary infections. Cards that have glitter, glitter glue, glitter crayons, glue that dries and cracks and falls off, flocking, or little beads, etc., cannot be used.
Flat-faced cards are best.
2. No enclosures, please.
3. All cards are screened. No need to include envelopes; they can be recycled for other projects.
4. The cards will go to wounded, injured, and ill active duty service members and possibly Veterans. They are Stateside. Wording is different for men and women deployed and those in the hospital stateside so please keep that in mind when writing a note. If we feel a note is not appropriate, we will not use it.
5. For security reasons we do not pass on full names and addresses to either the recipient or the sender. This is not a pen pal or care package program. Please include only your first name.
6. To help make sorting easier for us please bundle the same signatures together. Example: 6 different people write more than one card and all of the cards will be sent in one box or envelope. Please bundle each individual’s cards separately from everyone else’s cards.
7. More than one card may be mailed in a larger envelope or a box.
Mailing address:
This event has closed.
Final Postmark Deadline: Monday, November 16, 2015.
You will be acknowledged on our Holiday Cheer 2015 page by first name and the state you’re from, unless you request otherwise.
“Holiday Cheer 2015” can be found here.
You can read about last year’s “Holiday Cheer” event here.
Questions? Please contact Jane: Jane @ MarineMoms-Bethesda.org (remove spaces around @ sign.)
With Respect,
