Thank You, Angels

April 14, 2015

This week is Volunteer Appreciation Week. We are so thankful for all that you do to support our mission of ensuring no soldier goes unloved. You make a difference in the lives of our troops, veterans, and their families with every letter, visit, package, sack lunch, meal, etc. 

These notes are for you. From our team. To express our appreciation and thanks for every single one of you.

Thank you, angels!

Administrative

My sincere thanks to all of you, our amazing volunteers, for your time, dedication, and commitment to the mission of Soldiers’ Angels.  We cannot do the work that we do to support our deployed service members, their families and our veterans without the wonderful support of all of you.  You go beyond the call of duty so many times and make the lives of our heroes so much better.  I am honored to serve beside all of you and thank you for standing wingtip to wingtip with me to help our brave men and women and their families.  Sharing your angel wings is the heart of Soldiers’ Angels.  … Amy Palmer, President & CEO 

Thanks to all of our fabulous Angel volunteers who give so much of yourself each and every day to Soldiers’ Angels and the brave men and women in uniform, their families and veterans that we serve.  You are definitely heroes to us.  Continue to spread your angel wings and share your love and support.  It is my privilege to work with all of you. Thank you for making a difference and accepting the challenge. … Jennifer Cernoch, VP of Operations

One of my favorite quotes was from LTC James Doolittle -“There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer”.  At Soldiers’ Angels we have many volunteers that o above and beyond in service to our veterans every day.  They put in countless hours to ensure that our veterans know they are not forgotten.  Across the United States we have Service Area Directors/Managers, VA Representatives, Deputies and support volunteers that serve our veterans in the VA hospitals bringing care and comfort to the patients.  They participate at VA Stand Downs providing hygiene kits and box lunches to our homeless.  I am proud to oversee such an amazing group of volunteers.  Each day I am amazed by the commitment they have.  From the bottom of my heart I want to express my sincere thanks to each and every one of our volunteers for their commitment to serving our veterans. They are truly Angels – Soldiers’ Angels. … Vicki Sarracino, VP of Field Operations 

We would not be Soldiers’ Angels without our Volunteers.  Thank you so much for all of your hard work, your dedication, commitment and your heart.  It is amazing to see how many wonderful things that you do on a daily basis, for our men and women in uniform, our veterans, our military families and for one another.  The passion that goes into the support you provide seems never ending and makes me so proud to be able to be a part of it.  Thank you for not only the things you do but for being you and for allowing me the opportunity to get to know you and to be a part of all the remarkable things you do.  … Susie Turner, Director of Volunteer Services  

Service Area Directors

We are truly grateful for all of our volunteers at Soldiers’ Angels in Germany for freely giving their time performing the very unglamorous work of unpacking and documenting donations, organizing our storage rooms, and stocking donations shelves for our patients at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Along with our donors, you make a real difference to those sent here for medical treatment.  Soldiers’ Angels could not fulfill its mission, May No Soldier Go Unloved, without dedicated volunteers like you!  … MaryAnn Phillips, Germany Service Area Manager

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, I would like to send a big THANK YOU to all of my Georgia Soldiers’ Angels who have so faithfully served the deployed troops, wounded & homeless veterans, and military families from our state. You are a shining example of what volunteers should be with your generous hearts, tireless hard work, a constant focus on the cause, and an undying patriotism. When there is a need, you are the boots-on-the-ground that fulfill it… and together we have accomplished some truly amazing things. I am so proud and blessed to have such a wonderful band of angels to work with, as well to call my friends. So this week and always… I salute you!  … Dianne Moore, Georgia Service Area Director

Thank you to all the volunteers in Washington and Oregon.  You all answer any call that comes in and support the Veterans or service members in any way possible.  You are Angels to so many and you brighten the day of those you serve.  Thank you for your service.  … Tricia Delapaz, Washington/Oregon Service Area Director

For some people volunteering is about giving but for the likes of our volunteers it is a way of life.  If the world becomes a better place tomorrow, it will happen because of volunteers like you.  I am forever grateful for all our volunteers that work so hard to help our Veterans.  Thank you so much for volunteering and giving our organization the most precious thing you will ever give- your time and talent.  We could not accomplish all that we do without our volunteers and we truly appreciate all that you do. … Ann Davidson, California Service Area Director

It is my pleasure to celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week honoring the immeasurable, heart filled generosity. Soldiers’ Angels volunteers give of themselves to enrich the lives of those around them.  It is truly amazing to watch our Teams in action at the VA Hospitals, sending care packages, writing letters, sewing blankets, staffing special events, baking cookies, mentoring, and fund raising.  The selflessness of time and energy our volunteers provide to our service members, veterans, deployed troops, and families is a priceless gift.  Soldiers’ Angels could not accomplish the valuable work it does to support so many without volunteers who are always ready for action and eager to help.  In essence, our volunteers are the core of achieving our mission.  Our gratitude to you is endless.  You are all truly amazing individuals who bring so many wonderful attributes to every task and endeavor.  We may have started out on this journey in a common interest, but have become a family carrying out the mission, “May No Soldier Go Unloved”! … Heather Krauss, Texas Service Area Director

Deployed Support

To the amazing Team Leaders of all our DEPLOYED SUPPORT TEAMS…Cindy, Debbie, Ginger, Susie and Tina! Your hard work and dedication to Soldiers’ Angels, your Teams and our service members is beyond approach. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO, EVERYDAY! You are truly appreciated! … Tracy Curran, Deployed Support Teams Program Manager 

To all the fabulous DEPLOYED SUPPORT TEAMS Group and Team Leaders…you are appreciated! Without your dedication to your Angels every day, we would not be able to insure that no soldier goes unloved! THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION! … Tracy Curran, Deployed Support Teams Program Manager

I love the saying “Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, they just have the heart”. This saying is so true for each of our volunteers. I am so fortunate to work with an amazing group of men and women. Without you, without your heart, your passion and your wanting to help Soldiers’ Angels would not be the wonderful organization. It is because of you and the things that you do that it such an honor to be able to work with you. Thank you just does not seem to be enough. But, Thank You for everything that you do! Please know that it never goes unnoticed nor unappreciated.  … Susie Turner, Special Operation Forces Team Leader

A special thank you to all of the Letter Writing Team angels! Your commitment to our troops is amazing. You continue to bring a smile to every service member that receives a letter from you. I am PROUD to be your team leader! … Debbie Stump, Letter Writing Team Leader

Being a Soldiers’ Angels volunteer and hearing from a service member is like getting extra sprinkles on your ice cream cone without even asking for them!!  Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Ladies of Liberty…tirelessly giving of themselves so that our “Sheroes” can have a brighter day!  Volunteers give of their time, their heart and their emotions to make a difference in soldiers’ lives, one letter and package at a time.  Thank you, Ladies of Liberty, for selflessly giving your time and talents to make each and every female soldier feel that they are very special and valued for their service to our country.  Thank you, Ladies of Liberty, for knowing that each card, letter or package brings some sunshine and a piece of home to our valued female soldiers supporting our country far from their family, friends and home. Thank you, Ladies of Liberty, for making sacrifices in your own lives so that the lives of our “Sheroes” can be brightened by your thoughtful, cheery cards and letters, and wonderfully designed care packages full of TLC and love to make each and every soldier smile! … Ginger Vukas, Ladies of Liberty Team Leader

To the amazing Deployed Adoption Group Leaders – Thank you for your continued dedication to our Team Angels and Service Members.  You make a difference everyday!  … Tina Englen, Deployed Adoption Team Leader

A big shout out to all the Angels who support our Chaplains every day!  You make a difference and you are so appreciated!  Thank you for your dedication! … Tina Englen, Chaplain Support Team Leader

Thank you to all the fabulous bakers of the Angel Bakers Team!  Your fabulous goodies for our service members are appreciated every day by service members around the world!   Bake on Angels!  … Cindy Glenn, Angel Baker Team Leader

Family Support Teams 

I would like to thank all of the angels for the way you are changing people’s lives one card, letter, care package and warm thought at a time. I have met countless angels that are so committed and dedicated to helping others that it inspires me to share Soldiers’ Angels with other people and tell them about the great things we are doing. You are what makes this organization so special and unique! Keep up the great service to others so that they may continue to perform their job with lighter hearts. I wish you all well in your volunteering journey with us. … Brendalynn Love, Family Support Teams Program Manager

During this Volunteer Appreciation Week, I want to offer my truly humble but heartfelt thanks to the amazing volunteers of the Soldiers’ Angels Sewing and Crafting Team!  I am truly fortunate to work with such an incredibly creative, generous and loving bunch of Angels!    Thank you for always answering the call and helping to fill the lives of our veterans and family with lovingly handmade goodness!”   … Renee Cheatham, Sewing & Crafting Team Leader

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all you CPT Angels for the fantastic job you do, every day. You give of your time and yourselves with every card you write. Your selflessness is inspiring to me, other Angels, and our fabulous service members. You have many choices with which to volunteer and show your support for our service members, and we are so happy you’ve chosen Soldiers Angels. We consider ourselves very fortunate. Thanks Team – you ROCK! … Jerry Mott, Cards Plus Team Leader 

I want to personally thank all of the Angels on the Women of Valor team for all of their hard work, dedication, generosity and inspiration. Everything you do inspires me daily and touches the lives of so many women. We are all incredibly blessed to have you on this team and couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for supporting our caregivers, this program and myself. It truly is an honor to serve wingtip to wingtip with you. … Tegan Lake, Women of Valor Team Leader

THANK YOU to all the angels that make OTK such a wonderful team to be on and the way you support our military families is awesome. … Missy Blades, Operation Top Knot Team Leader

I want to take a minute to let each and every angel that is a part of Soldiers’ Angels know how thankful I am for everything you do for me as an individual and for Soldiers’ Angels as a whole. It is truly a blessing to know such amazing, caring individuals. When I joined Soldiers’ Angels I felt like I had a second family and that feeling has continued to grow over the years. I’m thrilled every time a new angel joins our ranks because it feels like a family that is growing. Thank you to every angel who puts our troops and their families above everything else and sends countless letters and packages.  Thank you also to everyone who has helped me out along the way and welcomed me not only as an angel, but as a team leader. I can honestly never thank you enough for your compassion and guidance and I look forward to many more years on this journey with you. … Jamie Fowler, Living Legends Team Leader