Students send cheer to vets

By: 
Ron Burtz

Several hundred Custer County veterans received a colorful note of thanks in their mailboxes this holiday season, thanks to the Custer High School student council.
For the first time, the student organization sent out a one-page Christmas letter to 275 area veterans with the help of local veterans organizations.
The letter said, in part: “To our men and women in uniform, past, present and future, God Bless you for your service and the sacrifices you made for our country and those you serve.
“We want you to know we care and are thinking of you during this holiday season and always,” the letter concluded. An original copy of the greeting was signed by 16 student council members and then copied.
One of the signers was senior student body president Heidi Moore, who said the effort grew out of the unusual program the student council put on for Veterans Day Nov. 11.
Moore said the idea was hatched a few days after the event when student council advisor Sandy Arseneault suggested doing something for veterans.
“Since it’s been such a weird year and Christmas was around the corner, we thought we would make Christmas cards,” said Moore, adding that the idea eventually morphed into the plan for a Christmas letter signed by students.
“This year has been challenging for everyone,” said Arseneault, “and we spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas. This really came about as a way to reach out to our community members who have given so much in their lifetime by serving their country. It was our way to let them know we care and they are always in our hearts.”
Arseneault said the effort was in keeping with the organization’s mission statement: “We strive to improve our school and community.”
Moore said the project was carried out in the high school library and students stopped in throughout the day to fold the letters and put them in envelopes.
They were then delivered to the Custer American Legion and VFW for sending out to their mailing lists.
Arseneault applauded the students for their thoughtful effort, saying, “I get to work with a group of students who are very caring and giving. This project was just another way they have shown their desire to give back to our community.”

 

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