Students are encouraged to make handmade valentines for veterans. (Courtesy photo)

Valentines for Veterans is now underway throughout Collin County.

The week of February 14 is recognized as National Salute to Veteran Patients week and provides Americans the opportunity to honor and thank veterans across the country.

Specifically, the program aims to increase community awareness of the critical role VA medical centers, outpatient clinics, domiciliaries, and nursing homes play in the treatment and care of our nation’s veterans and encourage citizens to reach out to hospitalized veterans.

During this time, Congressman Van Taylor encourages Collin County teachers and students to create valentines that will be hand-delivered to veterans at VA North Texas Healthcare System in Dallas.

“Each day, more than 98,000 veterans are cared for by VA facilities across the nation. By initiating a simple act of kindness, a Valentine’s Day card, we can remind our veterans how important they are to each and every one of us,” Taylor said.

Schools with 200 or more cards are invited to participate but pickups of valentines must be arranged prior to Feb. 8.

Schools with fewer valentines are invited to mail them to or drop them off at Congressman Van Taylor’s office at the address provided below. Congressman Taylor’s office must receive all cards prior to Tuesday, Feb. 12 to ensure delivery.

Guidelines for valentines are listed below:

• Do not include perishable food.
• Do not place valentines in sealed envelops.
• Do not include student’s personal information such as addresses, emails or phone numbers.
• Ensure cards do not include terms such as ‘RIP’ and images related to violence and death.
• While cards of all shapes and styles are welcome, cards need to be limited to standard greeting-card size.

All questions regarding the Valentines for Veterans program should be directed to Maggie Smith at [email protected].

Cards can be mailed to: 15600 Tennyson Pkwy., Ste. 275, Plano, TX, 75024.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]

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