The messages don't have to be elaborate.
"Merry Christmas, and I hope you come home safe," writes 7th grader Amanda Schenzel.
"[I'm] writing to the troops to let them know we care so they don't get scared," says 7th grader Mitch Sherfinski.
But the students at Prairie River Middle School in Merrill hope they have a big impact on soldiers who'll get them. They spent their Friday lunch hours writing holiday cards for hundreds of soldiers serving overseas.
This project is just as much a joy for the volunteers who coordinate all those cards.
"To see the kids just beam when they know they're doing something to make the kids feel good, it's become a wonderful thing," says Cindy Artus, a volunteer at Prairie River Middle School and coordinator of the card drive.
Prairie River students have been doing this for three years now. This year they hope to send more than 1,000 holiday greetings to our soldiers overseas.
And this year's card drive has some special meaning for the school. They'll send hundreds to their vice-principal, John Hagemeister, who's currently in Iraq with the 128th Infantry Division.
"If this works like we think it will, Mr. Hagemeister should get a card from every single middle school student in Merrill," Artus says.
And these students hope their vice-principal, and all the soldiers, appreciate a little taste of the holidays from back home.
"I'm just helping them out so they feel like people care about them," says 7th grader Jessica Tidwell.
"So it reminds them of their families and they can't wait to get home," says Sherfinski.
The students used soldiers' addresses found on our "Holiday Mail Call" list. If you'd like to send a soldier a card or greeting this season, click on the "Holiday Mail Call" icon. You can also still add on to the list.
