Tag: memorial day

Stand with our service members

Memorial Day is one of the most important days of the year – and not just because it heralds the beginning of summer. This day brings us together for a reason we can all stand behind: honoring the men and women who gave their lives in defense of our country.

Our military heroes put their lives at risk every day to protect our freedom and safety, and every safe homecoming is a reason to give thanks. But for veterans and their families, the joy of homecoming is often followed by a difficult transition period as they adjust to changes, reestablish bonds and cope with reintegration into civilian life.

This Memorial Day, you can honor our veterans and service members by sponsoring Reconnection Workshops to help service members, veterans and their families reengage in civilian life.

  • $68 provides a Reconnection Workshop for 1 participant.
  • $136 provides a Reconnection Workshop for 2 participants.
  • $272 provides a Reconnection Workshop for 4 participants.
  • $680 provides a Reconnection Workshop for 10 participants.

Give now to make a meaningful difference.

The Red Cross is proud to offer Reconnection Workshops to service members, veterans and their families, including children and teens, to help ease the transition home and build communication and coping skills. It’s only because of the support of people like you that we are able to keep these workshops 100 percent free to those impacted by military deployment.

Sponsor a Reconnection Workshop today to help keep this life-changing program going strong for our service members.

Your gift will help returning service members get the support they need to live full, connected lives. You’ll also be helping to send the powerful message that we stand with our military families not only during deployment, but also during the days and months following their return home.

Thank you for everything you do for our military heroes, this Memorial Day and every day.

Video: No Veteran Dies Alone

At the Red Cross, we understand how one dedicated person – despite the odds or circumstances – can have a profound effect on a community or an individual. For Chicago Red Cross Volunteer Laura Landoe, the difference she makes is quiet and intimate.

Landoe is one of a handful of volunteers who work with the No Veteran Dies Alone program at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center at Great Lake Naval Station in North Chicago, Illinois. The No Veteran Dies Alone is a palliative care program designed to provide the best quality of life for patients who no longer respond to medical treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities across the country.

Landoe’s role is to provide companionship and assistance, giving constant bedside comfort and most importantly, ensuring that no veteran faces death alone. There are times she holds a veteran’s hand, talks with them, reads to them and sometimes, sings hymns to them.

This Memorial Day as we fire-up the grill, head for the swimming pool, gather with family, and celebrate the start of summer, let us stop and remember the real reason for this holiday. It’s an opportunity to honor the men and women who have given their lives in service of their country while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces – and people like Landoe who serves our country in her own special way.

For more information about Services to the Armed Forces at the American Red Cross Gold Country Region, click here.

Happy Memorial Day!