With nearly the entire fall season, Halloween and numerous other events and activities immediately forthcoming, the holidays will not be a point of concern for most area residents within the next month or so. Those on American soil have the luxury of waiting until 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve to drive to Wal-Mart and buy a plethora of Christmas cards and various gifts for loved ones. Those defending the nation overseas, however, do not have that luxury. They don't have card stores a few minutes from home. Unless soldiers receive a little bit of help from those on the homefront, they won't be sending their loved ones any holiday cards this season.
Elaine Lampropolos would like to make sure that doesn't happen. She will look to send 1,000 cards to American military men and women around the world through Operation Write Home.
For the first time ever, southwestern New York will take part in National Card Making Day. Lampropolos, a demonstrator for Stampin' Up!, makers of decorative stamp sets and accessories for homemade cards, will lead the operation at the Celoron Legion on Saturday from noon until 5.
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Volunteers will make cards at the Celoron Legion on Saturday as a part of National Card Making Day. The various greeting cards will be shipped to soldiers overseas, who will be able to fill them out and send them to their loved ones this holiday season.
Submitted photo
"It's all over the country. It's an effort of volunteers to make handmade greeting cards," Lampropolos explained.
At the legion on Saturday, there will be giveaways, drinks and all materials required for card construction. Falconer Library donated books to Lampropolos and Operation Write Home. Hardcover books will be sold for $2, while paperbacks will sell for $1.
"The products I'm using are all Stampin' Up! products," Lampropolos said. "What I've done is I've purchased all of the supplies, and I'm raffling off gift certificates to offset the initial costs."
She will set up 10 card-making stations within the legion, allowing for many volunteers to participate. Participants will create Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthday, thinking of you and general greeting cards.
"Once they're all done, I'll be working on sending them to North Carolina to the East Coast's point of contact for Operation Write Home," Lampropolos said. At that point, the Operation Write Home staff will take matters into their hands. "Those folks will gather cards everyone on the East Coast has made, and they send them to the soldiers. They fill them out and send them to their loved ones."
In order to reach her goal of creating 1,000 cards Saturday, Lampropolos will need more volunteers, especially people who work with their hands. "We need volunteers to sit there and guide people through the process," she said.
Call Lampropolos at 763-2225 for more information on National Card Making Day. She believes her cause is worthwhile. "There are no card stores in Kabul or Baghdad. We're their card store," she said.
Those who attend do not have to be expert card makers. "Just bring your body and have lots of fun."