Blue Star Families, American Red Cross, and ServiceNation: Mission Serve Launch Operation Honor Cards

 

Organizations Join Forces to Help America Volunteer in Honor of Service of Military Families, Service Members and Veterans Blue Star Families, American Red Cross, and ServiceNation: Mission Serve launch Operation Honor Cards   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 12, 2011 Contact: Stephanie Himel-Nelson Email: stephanie@bluestarfam.org Phone: 703-472-6292 Washington, D.C. — Major national organizations are challenging Americans to perform millions of hours of community service to support and honor our nation's military families, veterans and service members, in support of the First Lady's campaign for military families. Today, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden launched an initiative to support and honor our nation's military families. As part of that event, the First Lady and Dr. Biden highlighted Operation Honor Cards. Blue Star Families, the American Red Cross and ServiceNation: Mission Serve are the driving forces behind this initiative to encourage Americans to perform service in honor of military families, veterans and service members. About Operation Honor Cards Operation Honor Cards is the joint project of Blue Star Families, the American Red Cross, and ServiceNation: Mission Serve, run cooperatively with the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Department of Defense. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has also agreed to support this initiative by sharing information related to our honor cards with their various Veterans Service Organizations whose members volunteer at VA's medical centers. Inspired by the First Lady's campaign for military families, the program aims to create an atmosphere of 'shared service' and a WWII sense of 'all give some' by encouraging Americans to perform service in honor of military families and veterans. Operation Honor Cards will promote and collect virtual Honor Pledges of community service through the website at www.honorcards.org. The website will also maintain a running tally of hours of community service hours committed and fulfilled in honor of military families, service members and veterans. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to join the program and may also fill out physical honor cards pledging service and download an online Operation Honor Cards kit. The American Red Cross and Blue Star Families will distribute Honor Cards to deployed service members, military families, wounded veterans and caregivers, who can then see tangible evidence of the community service performed in their honor. The program has already collected pledges of more than three million hours of service from Girls Scouts of the USA, Lions Clubs International, the Virginia Office of Volunteerism, the American Red Cross, Operation Gratitude, The Mission Continues, BAE Systems, Inc. and Blue Shield of California. The physical card collection portion of the program will culminate on or before 11/11/11 with 'Honor Walls' of pledge cards displayed at the Capitol Rotunda, military bases, and other public venues. Visit www.honorcards.org for more information. About Blue Star Families Blue Star Families (http://bluestarfam.org) is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Membership includes military spouses, children and parents as well as service members, veterans and civilians. About American Red Cross The American Red Cross has provided humanitarian support to the United States military, veterans and their families under a trusted symbol for almost 130 years. The Red Cross provides emergency communications, supports military and veteran hospitals and health care facilities as well as providing social services to military family members. The Red Cross is able to provide these services through employees and volunteers stationed around the world - through a network of more than 650 Red Cross offices to include supporting service members, veterans and their families far from military installations. For more information, visit www.redcross.org. About ServiceNation: Mission Serve ServiceNation (www.ServiceNation.org) is a campaign to increase service opportunities and elevate service as a core ideal and problem-solving strategy in our society. Mission Serve (www.MissionServe.org) is the ServiceNation campaign's civilian-military initiative, connecting civilian and military communities through a broad array of service and volunteer partnerships designed to address the challenges of our nation and our military communities. Media requests may be directed to: Blue Star Families Stephanie Himel-Nelson at stephanie@bluestarfam.org or 703-472-6292 American Red Cross Peter M. Macías at maciasp@usa.redcross.org or 202-303-4438 ServiceNation: Mission Serve Ross Cohen at rcohen@bethechangeinc.org or 202-340-8682 #### Blue Star Copyright (C) 2009 Blue Star Families All rights reserved.