wish fulfillment, the blog

Purple Heart Projects
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Year in and year out a US soldiers work is never done. We see their faces on the news, and read about their movements in the paper, but rarely do we have an opportunity to thank them. Purple Heart Projects makes that thank you easier than one could ever imagine. From simple donations, Purple Heart Projects puts together and mails care packages.

Purple Heart Projects is dedicated to helping military service members and their families, deployed and at home. They do that through organized projects that are designed to help ease the stress that soldiers and their families are placed under during periods of deployment, combat, recovering from wounds, and family issues. They are also committed to increasing awareness in our communities of the sacrifices that or soldiers and their families are making.

They are constantly identifying areas that Purple Heart Projects can make life more normal and happy for service members who are fighting the war on terror, and their families

There are thousands of US soldiers giving their holidays with their family and they would love to have

Care Packages
Their care packages are chosen using suggestions from returning service members, to ensure that they are getting what they want and need, and also to make sure that we aren’t purchasing items already issued by the military, like sunscreen.

Family Fellowship Retreats
Family fellowship retreats are organized with the help of individual vacation property owners. These properties are located at beaches, mountains, Lakes, and resort areas in different parts of the United States. All military members are welcome but priority is placed on wounded soldiers and those returning from deployments in combat areas.

Wounded Soldier Support
Purple Heart Projects works with hospitals and communities to help our soldiers who have been wounded through combat related actions. They do this by supplying these soldiers with needed items while in the hospitals and helping as needed after leaving the hospital. Also, they help by supporting other organizations that add these brave men and women.

Community Awareness
Purple Heart Projects is committed to enhancing community awareness as to the sacrifice and dedication of service members and their families. They do this by working with schools, civic clubs, and other organizations in local communities.

A couple dollars donated to Purple Heart Projects this holiday could help tell a soldier and his family thank you.

This is a guest blog post from Devin Hermanson, Senior Director for the World Vision Gift Catalog. 

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We’ve all heard the grumbling about Christmas – it’s too commercial, too
expensive, and contributes an unthinkable amount of pollution through the
production, procurement, wrapping, and subsequent unwrapping of future
white elephant gifts. Well, thankfully, I have personal experience with
tens of thousands of people who have discovered a way to make Christmas
meaningful again.

The company I work for, World Vision, has been fighting the root causes of
child poverty around the world for over 50 years, and the World Vision Gift
Catalog is a collection of over 100 different ways people can donate to
help the poor in the name of a loved one.

I used it last year to give a donation in my father’s name. He is a
nightmare to shop for because he really does have everything he needs, but
there are two things around which his world revolves, 1) Golf and 2)
Fishing.

So I donated a fishing kit in his name through the catalog and he loved it!
Dad isn’t someone who expresses his feelings a lot, but this gift started a
great conversation. He was really pleased to know that people would be
truly impacted because of this gift. It’s probably the only thing I’ve
given him in recent years that he’ll actually remember.

The fishing kit cost $40 and came with a card that pictured the kit and
explained to Dad how the kit would help a family in need but there are
things in the catalog for much less – like two ducks for $12. It doesn’t
cost much to make a big difference to a family accustomed to living on $2
or less a day, like 87% of the people who live in Zambia, for example.

Last year, $21 million was raised to help the poor through the World Vision
Gift Catalog. I’ve been privileged to meet families in Zambia who could
provide for their families – food, school uniforms, and medicine – because
of money they earned raising goats or chickens donated by World Vision
donors. And I’ve seen whole villages transformed because they finally had
healthy, clean water to drink, food to eat because of donated seeds and
tools, and schools where their children could begin to realize their
dreams. From speaking to those who benefited, I can say that these gifts
brought more joy than any gift ever purchased from Target, Macys or all the
rest.

Personally, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas,
particularly in a time when our planet is overburdened and our wallets are
feeling lighter. Whether it’s through World Vision or any of the other
excellent humanitarian organizations doing similar work, I encourage you to
consider making an alternative Christmas gift this year.

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World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working
with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their
full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.