My first official appearance with my Northeast Outstanding Mom title was a very special one on Valentine's Day! The message was "Spread the Love". We started t 9:30a.m. at Dracut Elementary School where students assembled in the gym to welcome the special guests who would later deliver all the cards they made to the VA Hospital in Bedford, MA.
Special Guests included:
Canaligator (Lowell Spinners Mascot)
Mario & Luigi from Super Mario Bros
Damon Amendolara (Sports Hub 98.5 FM)
Chief Master Sergeant Baird Stiefel from the 66th Air Force Base
John Tudor (Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher)
Jane Marshall (Northeast's Outstanding Mom 2012)
Jennifer Hardy (Mrs. Massachusetts America 2011)
Molly Wahlen (Miss Massachusetts America 2011)
UML Hockey Players
Lowell Spinners Front Office representatives
It was great to see the kids so excited to meet their guests, hand in the cards they made, sign autographs, and pose for many pictures with them. Then it was off to the VA Hospital in Bedford to attend an assembly and learn more about volunteering at the VA Hopsital. There were so many decorated veterans there, and I am so proud to know that our country is protected by such outstanding individuals from many years ago all the way to the present. We then headed off to personally hand out the Valentine's cards made by the Dracut Elementary School students and some heart shaped balloons. It was so rewarding to see the smiles on these Veteran's faces. One man by the name of John held my hand and thanked me, in his words, "it often gets very lonely here, so thank you to you people for coming to see us!". This opened my eyes further to the real reason why we were there, and I look forward to volunteering on a regular basis to help make a difference in even just one Veteran's life even if it is only for a short time. These people sacrifice so much to protect our country and our lives on a daily basis, the lease I and we can do for them is to give just a little bit of our time to them to let them know how much we appreciate all they have done for the United States of America. Today was a day where not only was I proud of our youth for their giving enthusiasm, but also of our Military Staff! The future is bright! If you would like to look into volunteering at the Bedford VA Hospital, please visit: www.bedford.va.gov/giving.
A very special Thank You to Jon Goode and the Lowell Spinners Organiztion for coordinating such great event!
