VA hospital desires heartfelt support for Veterans on Valentine’s Day
BEDFORD, Massachusetts— Show us your heart! And show our inpatient Veterans their service and sacrifices are not forgotten.
National Salute to Veteran Patients is always on Valentine’s Day and VA Bedford Healthcare System needs community help in this COVID era to show our resident patients some support.
The hospital is asking citizens to mail Valentine cards or letters to VA Bedford patients for arrival by Feb. 7 for inclusion in their National Salute mailbags.
“Valentine cards are especially important right now for Veterans during pandemic precautions where volunteers are not able to come in to visit them,” Laurel Holland, VA Bedford HCS Center for Development and Civic Engagement chief says.
VA Bedford HCS depends on the goodwill of its supporters who want to give something back to America's heroes. Volunteers provide much-needed help throughout the health care system and make patients' experiences more enjoyable.
Holland says in “normal times,” meaning pre-COVID, VA Bedford began National Salute with a huge rally in the auditorium with Veteran Service Organizations, volunteers, representatives from the Governor’s office, the New England Patriots Cheerleaders street team, Miss Massachusetts, the Lowell Spinners Canaligator, and special guests from Hanscom Air Force Base.
“We’d split everyone up into teams which would go off into the units and distribute Valentine cards in the bags with huge Valentine balloons for each patient. Leadership accompanied the dignitary carts, and it was a bit of fun chaos,” Holland recalls wistfully.
Holland isn’t the only one remembering rowdier times. Jacque Holliday is a Health Service Specialist in the Associate Director’s office and recalls her experience with National Salute.
“There were Patriots players and cheerleaders everywhere and Veterans were telling their stories, sometimes two and three times, whenever a group came through,” she says. “They don’t have that anymore because of the pandemic and the necessary infection control precautions. That’s so sad.”
Sad, but not down and out. VA’s been doing National Salute as far back as 1978, and Holland says CDCE isn’t going to let a pandemic stop them.
“We have staff and leadership distributing the cards and balloons; no volunteers, no general public.”
She does have volunteers lined up to help fill the mailbags with the 2,000-3,000 Valentines VA Bedford receives for its Veterans—battle-hardened Veterans who cry when they receive them.
“One Veteran who fought in WWII had tears in his eyes when he looked through his cards,” Holland recalls. “I asked him why he was crying, and he said, ‘These are happy tears. These cards from the kids mean that they have not forgotten us and what we have done to serve our country!’”
The purpose of the National Salute to Veteran Patients Program is to pay tribute and express appreciation to Veterans, increase community awareness of the role of the VA healthcare system, and encourage citizens to visit hospitalized Veterans and to become involved as volunteers. If you’d like to add some Valentines to our Veterans’ mailbags, we must receive your cards by Feb. 7 at:
VA Bedford HCS
CDCE (135)
200 Springs Road
Bedford, MA 01730
If you would like to become a volunteer at VA Bedford or make a donation, call our CDCE at 781-687-3076. Whatever your interests, VA has volunteer opportunities for you.