Thousands of student-made holiday cards filled the table in front of Fallen Stars Memorial committee member Ray Lenarcic Thursday as he sat in a conference room at the Red Cross facility.
“I'm overwhelmed with what they did,” Lenarcic said as he looked at the colorful cards with their misspelled greetings of “Merrie Christmas” and “Have a great Chrismas.”
Students from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade at six Herkimer County schools made the cards, which will be sent to military doctors and nurses at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas and overseas.
Little Falls' Benton Hall Academy, Ilion's Remington Elementary, Frankfort's Reese Road Elementary, Herkimer Elementary, Dolgeville Elementary, and St. Francis de Sales Parochial schools participated in the effort.
Herkimer Elementary School art teacher Heather Wheeler said between 70 percent and 90 percent of the students at her school made cards for the doctors and nurses.
“I think it's really a good way for students to give back to the community,” she said.
Some of the cards had drawings of military jeeps and people with Band-Aids, and had such sayings as “thanks for fixing our troops.”
At St. Francis de Sales, teacher Rebecca Cristman said she helped her pre-k students make cards with painted handprints on cards.
“This was a real way to show the meaning of Christmas, and that a gift of giving is as simple as this,” Cristman said.
The card project is associated with the Fallen Stars Memorial mural.
Lenarcic recognized the schools Thursday with certificates and gave each school information on the deceased soldier who inspired the project, Marine Sgt. Merlin German, who died in April. He had been burned over 96 percent of his body in a 2005 attack during Operation Iraqi Freedom and spent three years after the attack talking to and encouraging children who had suffered burns before he died.
Many of the cards will be sent to the doctor who treated German.
“More often than not, doctors and nurses are the unsung heroes who are forgotten about,” Lenarcic said. “Merlin loved children, so we thought this project with kids making cards for doctors and nurses was something to honor him.”
While Lenarcic said it was too late to participate in his greeting card program, he encourages people to participate in the American Red Cross' soldier greeting card campaign. Cards can be sent to Holiday Mail for Heroes, PO Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456 and must be postmarked by Wednesday.source
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