The Birches’ “Hearts and Heroes” Project Successfully Sends Smiles to Soldiers

Valentine’s Day was a bit brighter this year for U.S. soldiers stationed across the country and the world thanks to The Birches Assisted Living’s “Hearts and Heroes” project. 

Jackie Raschke, Director of The Birches’ memory care neighborhood Encore, started the project with a few goals in mind; First and foremost, Raschke wanted to spread love and gratitude to soldiers who sacrifice so much and risk their lives daily.

Raschke also saw the project as an opportunity to dispel the myth that people with memory loss cannot make meaningful contributions to the world. “We want to give back,” said Raschke. “We want to prove that people with dementia can still make a difference in the world. This is one way we plan to show that.”

By all accounts, the program was a great success. Thirty-one care packages were sent to soldiers stationed in the U.S. and abroad. These packages included over 125 Valentine’s Day cards and were packed with special and practical treats like DVDs, socks, candy, games, cookies, puzzles, flashlights, toiletries, and more.  In total, The Birches mailed 161 lbs of Valentine’s Day goodies to soldiers!

The Birches received a tremendous outpouring of support from the community, both in the form of volunteer assistance and donations. Community members of all ages donated money, supplies, and their time to the worthy cause. Many volunteers from The Birches community and the greater Chicagoland community helped decorate the care packages and make valentines for the soldiers.

Terry Dutkovich, the Resident Assistant in Encore, played a crucial role in organizing the event. Dutkovich’s efforts in the project carried a personal significance because her nephew is a soldier who was previously stationed in Afghanistan, although he is back in the States now. Dutkovich made sure her nephew and the other 13 members of his unit were included on the list of care package recipients, and her effort was well-received.

“My nephew was just so overjoyed that when he called he said, ‘Auntie T, I can’t believe I got this terrific package. It was decorated so cute, and I really enjoyed the valentines,’” Dutkovich said, paraphrasing her nephew’s reaction.

Dutkovich said their goal in sending out the care packages was to inspire joy in the lives of soldiers who face dire and daunting circumstances on a daily basis. “Our goal was to encourage a smile, let them laugh at a joke, or share their valentine cards and treats with the other soldiers.”

In addition to benefitting the soldiers, Dutkovich said the project was also very beneficial to the Birches residents who participated. Members of the Encore community lovingly decorated the care packages and created special valentines for each soldier. “I saw this project as a sharing of our residents’ love and their artful talents,” said Dutkovich.

In the end, the project ended up being a lot more work than Raschke and Dutkovich initially thought; organizing and decorating boxes, managing donations, volunteers, and recipient lists, and getting everything packed and shipped ended up taking a significant amount of time and energy. But, according to Dutkovich, it was a labor of love and was well worth the effort. 

In fact, due to the tremendous success of the project, The Birches is likely to make “Hearts and Heroes” a yearly endeavor. Next year, Raschke and Dutkovich hope to bring smiles to the faces of even more soldiers!