{"id":7691,"date":"2020-12-02T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T20:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=7691"},"modified":"2020-12-03T16:42:38","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T21:42:38","slug":"holiday-card-drive-delivers-love-to-soldiers-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/ponte-vedra\/holiday-card-drive-delivers-love-to-soldiers-overseas\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday card drive delivers love to soldiers overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When U.S. Army Capt. Taylor John-Morton receives a care package, card or photo while on deployment in the Middle East, his entire unit benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI send him dried fruit often because he requests it, and everyone in his unit gets at least a piece,\u201d said Kim Morton, Taylor\u2019s mother who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach. \u201cWhether it is a photo, an activity or a card, one package goes to everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what makes the Heartillery Group, a Ponte Vedra Beach-based non-profit organization sending holiday cards to military service members all over the world, so special, said Kim and her husband, U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Morton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese cards provide those connections to people at home not only in an uplifting and therapeutic way, but also to show that this is finite and not forever,\u201d said Richard. \u201cIt also shows the soldiers that people at home care and are with you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim requested that Taylor, 27, and his unit be added to the card list this year, after recently learning about Heartillery via Facebook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heartillery\u2019s eighth annual Mission Holiday Cards campaign is in need of cards and monetary donations to be able to mail the cards, said Emily Spencer, Heartillery founder and executive director. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal is to send 500,000 cards and to raise $80,000 to cover the shipping costs of such a huge delivery. Last year, Heartillery exceeded its card goal and sent 820,000 cards, and Spencer said they are on track to send well over 500,000 this year. While Spencer does not like to ask for monetary donations, the reality is that shipping such a high volume of cards costs a lot of money. It will cost $56,000 to send 1.5 million cards with 350 cards per box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spencer and the Mortons both said that COVID has made this project more meaningful than ever \u2014 for the soldiers and for card senders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDeployment itself is a stressful time away from family all on its own. Now in a pandemic, the situation is more complex. They are in a constant state of quarantine. There is no break, no time to leave. It is a totally new level of isolation and challenges,\u201d said Richard. \u201cThese cards give them a little bit of home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spencer has noticed that more people are sharing details about their lives in the cards than in previous years, reflecting on how grateful they are for what they have even with hardships \u2014 most importantly the freedom that the soldiers have given them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir world is totally different than ours. Their reality is totally different. Even a small card gives him a piece of connection to the United States,\u201d said Kim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spencer said she is very grateful for the many community partners who have supported this cause and continue to do so. One such organization is Vets on T.A.P. in Jacksonville. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVets on T.A.P. is a networking group for transitioning service members, veterans and spouses in the greater Jacksonville area. This is our third holiday season working with Emily and Heartillery Group. We enjoy working with Emily because of her fantastic mission, to get cards to our troops deployed overseas during the holidays,\u201d said Will Gibson, CEO\/founder of Vets on T.A.P. \u201cBeing separated from friends and family over the holidays brings an extra level of stress to an already stressful situation and these cards are a warm reminder from home that we support, care for, and are grateful for the sacrifices that our troops make on our behalf.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of the pandemic, Heartillery has launched its first ever virtual team program for anyone who wants to do a remote team card project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to do it: <\/p>\n\n\n\n