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3 Ways to Show Your Support this Memorial Day

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3 Ways to Show Your Support this Memorial Day

Memorial Day may mean a
day off of work and an excuse to get out the grill, but if you are taking the
time to celebrate Memorial Day, it’s important that you don’t forget to
celebrate the soldiers who should be honored. Here are some fun and easy ways
to make sure that you are giving back to soldiers in your community this
Memorial Day.
Use Your BBQ as a
Charity Event
If you are planning a
cookout, potluck, or BBQ for Memorial Day, make it an excuse to raise awareness
for soldiers’ causes and to raise money for donation. Here are a few ideas for
organizations that collect for soldiers and their families:
  • www.homesforourtroops.org. This organization works to build and restore homes
    for veterans and their families. According to the Annual Homeless
    Assessment Report, on any given night in 2013, there were 57,849 veterans
    living on the streets. Securing and keeping housing proves to be a huge
    challenge for many soldiers returning home from duty,
  • www.operationhomefront.net. Collects money for families of deployed soldiers to
    help them pay for necessary items like vehicles, clothing, and housing.
  • www.fisherhouse.org/programs/hero-miles. Donate Frequent Flyer Miles to soldiers so they can
    visit their families during their R&R periods.
Raise money by setting
up collection bowls around the party: on the buffet table, by the couches, even
in the restroom. Post explanatory signs about the cause you are supporting and maybe even print
photos and stories of families
who have been helped by those causes. Other ideas might include:
  • Ask friends with local
    businesses to donate their goods or services for a raffle. For example, if
    your neighbor is a baker, she could donate a cake to be raffled. If your
    friend is an artist, maybe he could donate a painting for the raffle. Hold
    a silent auction with proceeds for your cause.
  • Set up money raising games for
    those who want to participate. For example, you could stage a poker match
    with all proceeds for the charity.
Organize an Event to
Benefit Soldiers in Your Community
If you would like to do
something a bit more personal this Memorial Day, organize your friends and
family to participate in an activity to benefit the soldiers and veterans in your
community. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
  • Give your time at a local
    veteran’s home or a home that caters largely to a veteran and soldier
    community. Pick up trash on their street, perform repairs around the house,
    offer to bring over baked goods or a casserole,
    or just organize your family and friends to pay a visit to socialize. You
    can put on a fun event like a little concert with some local kids or if
    you have a particular skill, you could teach an art class or yoga class
    for free for the veterans. To get into the spirit of Memorial Day and keep
    the event fun and silly, have your volunteers dress up in fun clothes like an American Flag Tank Top or flag shorts for the day.
  • If you have veterans or families of deployed soldiers in
    your neighborhood, pay extra special attention to their needs on Memorial
    Day. If you know that they are in need or have been going through any hard
    times lately, organize a collection in the neighborhood to help them with
    their expenses or offer to give them a hand with things like home or car repair. They’re also likely to appreciate a social call if you
    just want to swing by to thank them for their service! Come over with a
    baked good and coffee to brighten up their day or invite them to your
    cookout. Even if you do not know these neighbors well, they are likely to
    appreciate your consideration on Memorial Day!
Arrange for a Public
Memorial
Try to get permission to
organize a memorial event at the park or a local school. You could organize a
baseball game as a fundraising event for a cause at the elementary school, or
you could set up a temporary installation in the park like a memorial wall for
fallen soldiers. Of course, for something like this, you will need to plan
ahead and get approval and cooperation from the school or park administrators.
If you can’t get
permission or you don’t have time to coordinate such a large project, turn your
house into a makeshift memorial. Decorate your fence or trees with yellow
ribbons. Collect wreaths or flowers for your front porch or front gate as a
memorial. Plant a garden in their honor. Print out and post pictures of soldiers who have passed away,
especially if they are from your local community. Hang flags from your windows
and hang paper stars from your tree or roof overhang.
Memorialize Every Day!
Use Memorial Day to raise awareness about the reality of the situations for veterans and their families all over the country. Now, make it a regular part of your week to give back to your local veterans, national veterans’ causes, and to give aid where aid is needed throughout the year!
How do you plan on spending your Memorial Day?

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Comments

  3. Jessica says

    I love the idea of hosting a collection event at a family get-together. We always get together for a bbq of some sort Memorial Day weekend and it would be even better to help support our vets with a "charity event" aspect to it!

  4. Six Time Mommy TEST says

    These are great! I'm in Canada, but these could most definitely apply for our holiday too! I love giving time at a veteran home. That's lovely. Both my grandparents were vets so veterans are dear to me even more! – jeanine

  5. jen temcio says

    We are having a BarBQ and I didnt think to use it as a way to raise money. I am going to have the kids activity be to decorate boxes then pass them around for the adults to dontate money. It will be a great opportunity for everyone there!

  12. RANE says

    I like the idea of using a Bar B q or event to create events. Quite often theses days are so commercialized that people forget the meaning behind it

  19. Courtney says

    This is so SO important! I love these ideas, and we need to remember to thank our Veterans! May they never be forgotten.

  20. Mama to 5 says

    These are all great ideas. I need to do something like this with our children so that they have an understanding. I think we will hang up a bunch of flags in our front yard.

  25. DeDa Studios says

    This Memorial Day weekend I am working the ER department both Sat & Sun then on Monday we are attending our local Memorial Service at the VA Center in our area.

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