MEDIA ADVISORY

November 23rd, 2009

The California State Legislature & Yellow Ribbon America
Launches 6th Annual
Operation Christmas for Our Troops and Their Families
* * *

Goal is to deliver Christmas support to over 300,000 of California’s, Arizona’s and Nevada’s military members
and their families here and serving throughout the world

IRVINE, CALIF – The California State Legislature and Yellow Ribbon America have launched its fifth annual Operation Christmas for Our Troops and Their Families, a statewide and national non-partisan holiday effort to give support to America’s deployed and at home military members and their families. The effort, which supports the National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty deployed and at home military members and their families, began in November 2004 and has grown every year since. It is not just the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard members that are affected when they are deployed and away from home but also the families who are left behind. According to the Pentagon, this is the largest Christmas Holiday effort for both our nation’s military and their families.

Over the last four years with the help of thousands of our fellow Californians, Operation Christmas for Our Troops and Their Families has collected over 368,000 donated items such as food for various Unit Christmas parties, bikes, toys, DVDs, games, all types of gift cards as well as financial donations for military families in need and for the Family Readiness programs offered by all branches of service in California’s National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty Components.

This year our statewide goal is to deliver Christmas community support to over 300,000 of California, Arizona and Nevada’s military members and their families here at home and serving throughout the world. Through the generous donations from all of California’s communities we will be able to give gifts to military families especially the children of America’s military to help them through the emotional difficulties of the holidays while their loved ones are far from home. “Operation Christmas for Our Troops V” will provide support from local communities, which helps bring all Americans together to support their local military and their families. Locals Helping Locals -- local businesses, residents, churches and community groups focusing their resources on helping their military members and their families located in their own community. That’s what the Yellow Ribbon America (YRA) Campaign is all about.

Because the Christmas shopping list is so large, Yellow Ribbon America, which manages the volunteer effort and project coordination, is already in FULL-TIME Community Outreach mode for Operation Christmas for Troops & Their Families V. They have been doing events from Sacramento to San Diego with our YRA volunteers, local California Troops and their families generating support for the military units, families and those who have emergency needs.

For more information on how to participate or donate visit www.YellowRibbonAmerica.org.

On behalf of Yellow Ribbon America and the California State Legislature we wish to thank you for being part of the largest Christmas Holiday Community outreach effort in the nation for both America’s military members and their families.


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The mission of Yellow Ribbon America is to provide a national framework to organize America's cities and towns, to deliver immediate and direct support to our deployed military personnel and the families who are left behind. Our Deployed Military Members & Family Support Program continues to grow as do the needs of our military and their families. Yellow Ribbon America continues to organize community outreach events to help communities welcome home our military members and thank their families for their sacrifices’ for us all.

They never asked for anything.  Not sympathy, not understanding not even a thank you.  Soldiers returning from this war wounded have had their lives forever changed.  Transitioning back to civilian life for these folks is daunting.   Our idea was simply to have a welcome home ceremony for these brave men and women and say thank you for your sacrifice, and your service.   We had no idea how a simple gesture like this would grow into what this has become. 

We asked local businesses and community leaders to support our idea.  In no time, we had commitments for as many gift baskets as we needed, containing everything from two round-trip tickets on Mesa Airlines and $200.00 dollar dinner certificates to the finest steak house in town, to a nearly a dozen free car washes, free gasoline, groceries, movies, even a Visa card for $100.00 - all practical gifts to ease their transition.  To date we have given away nearly $150,000.00 in gift baskets to Arizona and California Purple Heart recipients and their families and are poised to do the same in 2008.

Our goal was to unite America’s communities.  Without regard for political leanings we just wanted folks to know that the men and women risking their lives for our Country are fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, and sons and daughters.  Our Welcome Home Project ceremonies brought an incredibly diverse group of people.  CEO’s, politicians (both Democrats and Republicans), teachers, police and fire fighters, journalists, school children, and anyone who wanted to say thanks.  We could never have known the power of thanks.  Soldiers cried at seeing this kind of unexpected appreciation. 

Since the Welcome Home Project got started it has gained amazing energy, and is beginning to spread.  The CEO of Mesa Airlines was so moved by his involvement that he’s now partnering with us to take this effort to other states.

We have received letters of thanks from those in the community who didn’t know this kind of avenue existed to thank our troops.  We have heard a lot from Vietnam Veterans who wished that something like this existed when they returned from war.   We can only hope that a simple gesture such as this will bring some closure to those returning now. President Lincoln once said, “We are the land of the free because of the brave.”   We agree, we owe these brave men and women a debt we can never repay, but at the very least we can say “Thank You, and Welcome Home”.