Press Release - Tuesday, January 31, 2006
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Quinn urges "Remember Our Veterans and Soldiers on Valentine's Day"
CHICAGO -Today, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn encouraged school children across the state to make and send valentines to hospitalized veterans and soldiers serving overseas.
"This is an excellent opportunity for all of us to let our veterans and soldiers overseas know that the people of Illinois appreciate their brave efforts, are thinking of them, and that we care," Quinn said. "Let's show our appreciation by sending hospitalized veterans and service men and women a card or a letter letting them know they are in our thoughts this Valentine's Day."
Quinn was joined by 65 sixth-graders from Chicago International Charter School (CICS)- Bucktown Campus. CICS-Bucktown is one of the new wave of charter schools administered by American Quality Schools. The students displayed their homemade valentines that will be sent to hospitalized veterans and servicemembers.
Robert Lane, their teacher, and Debi Rickert, a military mom from Naperville who started the Illinois chapter of Support Our Troops, were also in attendance.
Operation Support Our Troops was started by military mothers from across the United States as an effort to show gratitude to the troops overseas. People may send valentines to Operation Support Our Troops Illinois and the organization will forward them to servicemembers stationed around the world.
Illinois is home to 36 veteran hospitals, including seven hospitals located in Chicago. A detailed list of all veterans hospitals in Illinois is available on Quinn's website, www.OperationHomeFront.org.
Valentines for Vets was started by the late columnist Ann Landers who asked her readers to send valentines to veterans in VA hospitals to show they were not forgotten.
Currently 4,700 Illinois National Guardsmen and reservists are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information on ways to help our troops, please visit www.OperationHomefront.org. Garnering nearly 14 million hits, it is one of the most informative military websites regarding American troops in the country.
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