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Click Here 42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 31, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 20, 2003 Event will gather holiday cards for soldiers in Iraq By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will get a dose of local holiday cheer thanks to a "Hope from Home" card program. Debbie Hicks, a Jacksonville resident, is asking people to pen a few lines on a Christmas card to send to a soldier far from home sometime between noon and 8 p.m. today at the lower level of Mervyn’s Court in the Rogue Valley Mall. "You’ll never know what your letters mean, especially now," says Hicks. "We want them to know we’re deeply proud of them and deeply grateful." The cards and envelopes have been donated by Hallmark, Fred Meyer and others, Hicks says. Hicks says she held an eight-hour "Hope from Home" event last Saturday, and it was so successful that she wants to do it again. Advertisement "We have a table where they can write a brief note. Last Monday (after Saturday’s collection), we sent 1,500 letters to our soldiers," she says. Hicks says she can never thank U.S. soldiers enough for their sacrifice. Earlier this year, she had 23,000 heart-shaped pins made which said, "Support Our Troops in Prayer." But the "official war" was over quickly and so, she fears, is the strong tide of moral support for those who serve. The cards, which require return addresses and are left unsealed for security reasons, are sent to the head chaplain in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hicks says. Hicks says people tell her all the time they want to write, but don’t know whom to write to. Hicks is asking all cards be addressed to "Dear Soldier." "That way they (the cards) can go to anyone," she says. "We have students from our schools sending 300 to 400 letters at a time." Anyone who can’t make it to the mall Saturday can still drop off holiday cards for the next few days at boxes in the Evangel stores in Klamath Falls, Grants Pass and the mall, she says. "We have a picture of one of our soldiers holding one of our cards. He looks like such a macho type, but he’s holding the letter to his nose, sniffing it. It’s something from home." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times