As an army wife, Veterans Day is a holiday near and dear to my heart. My husband, his father, and his father before him all served in the US armed forces. Formerly Armistice Day, Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th with many parades, church services, and speeches around the nation. We often hear about veterans and their stories but what can we actually do to help and support them?
Here are some simple but meaningful things we can do together as a community to help those who sacrificed so much for our freedoms:
1. Visit your local VA hospital or nursing home during this holiday season. I linked the Florida Department of Veterans, where you can search for the closest VA nursing home to visit.
2. Donating to local veteran nonprofits. Ocean Adventure Inc. is one of those truly amazing organizations that provides outdoor activities for vets and their families. “Our mission is to provide veterans with the opportunity to experience the healing power of water. Simply put, we take veterans sailing, diving, and paddling.”
3. Adopt a military family for the holidays. What an amazing way to show our support! Help adopt a military family for the holiday over at the Soldiers Angels website. They make it easy and have so many other volunteer opportunities.
4. Write a thank you card to your local veteran. There are so many amazing organizations that are made to help our vets. A Million Thanks is one of those! Not only do they provide the platform to be able to reach out to our local veterans, they also offer scholarships to the children of those heroes.
Include the Kids
Want to include your young children and teach them about his special holiday? Check out my previous post: Veterans Day: Thanking Our Nation’s Heroes for Their Service.
Updated November 2023
