My Wrapped Up in Christmas series often has characters who volunteer for various projects and organizations, including the fabulous Quilts of Valor Foundation that is a real organization that wraps quilts of healing around our military personnel. I started out writing the series for Hallmark, so the stories are sweet and the characters often very much so, too. But the reality is that I try to live my life with a servant's heart, too. I truly find that doing for others brings great joy.
One of the organizations that I personally volunteer with is a group called Veterans Back to Normandy. They're a French group whose mission is to do just what you'd guess from their name--to bring veterans back to Normandy. I met members of this group while I was volunteering with a different group who had brought 3 WWII veterans back to Normandy. That US group had partnered with the French group for the 79th and 80th anniversaries, however, they weren't going to be making the trip for the 81st. I feel so blessed in that VBtN asked me to volunteer with their group for the 81st.
This trip is a big volunteer experience as I take off from my day job for 3 weeks as I do final preparations/make sure I have all my medical supplies, the trip, then after I'm home, take a couple of days to recover from any jet lag that might hit me. But it's also one that comes with such rich rewards because the WWII veterans I meet are all heroes. Everyone of them has amazing stories of things they've done during their life, both during the war, but outside of the war, as well. I just want to soak up every word they say because as they pass such a phenomenal part of American history is being lost. This year I flew from Huntsville, Alabama with 1 veteran and his family and we met 5 other WWII veterans in Atlanta for our flight to Paris. The oldest, 102 years old!, was with our group part of the time, but mostly with another group once we arrived in France. I volunteer as their medic (I'm a nurse practitioner in my day job) and this year was the guys healthiest year yet. Yay!!!
I could go on and on about the trip because it's something I'm passionate about, and you'll no doubt hear me talk about these trips again in the future. I'm already looking forward to the 82nd anniversary and spending time with these veterans, their families, and the volunteers whom I absolutely love.
Do you currently or in the past have something you volunteer with or support that you feel passionate about?
What a wonderful volunteering experience for you and everyone involved! Thanks so much for sharing.
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