Will County Schools Create Valentines For Veterans

FRANKFORT, IL — Will County students, including students in Frankfort, created hand-made valentines for local veterans through a "Valentines for Veterans" initiative launched this year by Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. Glasgow delivered the valentines to the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission, which is handing them out to local veterans, the state's attorney's office said.

“We can never fully express our gratitude to our veterans for their service to this country. This program is a wonderful opportunity to teach our kids about the selfless dedication of our veterans, as well as the importance of saying thank you to one another,” Glasgow said in a release. “It was heartening to see so many students excited about sending their personal messages to our veterans through the Valentines for Veterans program.”

Two schools in Frankfort, Chelsea Intermediate School and Grand Prairie Elementary School, participated in the initiative.

Kristi McNichol, superintendent of the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission, said her organization already has started giving the valentines to local service members.

“The veterans have been touched by the outpouring of support for them,” McNichol said in a release. “In fact, we already have received a thank you from one of our veterans, who served in Vietnam, expressing how much the homemade valentine meant to him.”

In that note, the veteran wrote, “[t]o the children, teachers, and parents – thank you, thank you for your letters of support. The respect and love you’ve expressed in these letters is greatly appreciated. America is great because of you!”

Several schools in Joliet and Plainfield also created valentine's for veterans.

“I want to thank our teachers and school administrators for their enthusiasm in participating in this important program to thank our area veterans,” Glasgow said in a release.