Students at Veterans Memorial Elementary School thanked those whose service produced their school’s namesake this week, one of four schools in a two-county area to team up with U.S. Rep. Andy Kim’s office to combine Valentine’s Day wishes with “Salute a Veteran Patient” week, a program led by the VA.
Brick students designed “thank you” cards with a Valentine’s Day theme, which were picked up on Friday by the congressman’s staff, then delivered to veterans by members of local veterans’ social groups.
“We would like to thank Congressman Andy Kim for sponsoring this ‘Valentines for Veterans’ project, which gave our students an opportunity to express their heartfelt appreciation to our local heroes,” said Alyce Anderson, the district Director of Curriculum. “Patriotism is a core value of the Brick community. In fact, two of our twelve schools are named in honor of veterans. We are honored to have the Congressman deliver our Valentines to local VFW and American Legion Posts.”
“Delivering Valentine’s, while it may be a simple act, can bring so much joy to those who need it most,” Kim said. “I am happy and inspired to see so many students from Burlington and Ocean Counties coming together to thank our veterans. I so appreciate our local schools and Boy Scouts for their leadership on this heart-felt and often heart-shaped project.”
In addition to Brick’s VMES, the Burlington County Institute of Technology, the City of Burlington School District, Jersey Shore Council Boy Scouts and Toms River Regional schools joined the effort.