Veterans Day is a federal holiday celebrated on November 11th. It’s a day in which we honor veterans who have served in the US military.
There are many different ways you can honor and support, either by donating or volunteering to an institution that aids veterans. Below, we’ll get into all the different ways you can celebrate Veterans Day!
Although Veterans Day is sometimes confused with Memorial Day, Memorial Day honors those who died while serving in the military, while Veterans Day honors all those who have served or continue to serve in the U.S. military.
Doing a little is already a lot
This goes for almost anything, but it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t feel bad for not being able to donate a huge sum or helping a little because you’re short on time. Whatever you do is already much appreciated and will certainly make a difference in the lives of our veterans.
And most importantly, you can easily share an institution of your choice on social media, for example, and encourage others to donate and volunteer. That’s free and even if a single donation is made because of your efforts, it was already worth it!
Donate and volunteer
If you don’t have a lot of time to spare, donating even a small sum is a great way to help. If you do however have some time to spare, consider volunteering to a local institution of your choice – here are a number of institutions across the country that accept donations and volunteers:
- Blue Star Families
- Disabled American Veterans
- Wounded Warrior Project
- Fisher House
- VA Voluntary Service
- USO’s Operation Phone Home
- Operation Gratitude
- Folds of Honor
- Operation Injured Soldier
- VA Voluntary Service
- Veteran Airlift Command
- Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
Other ways you can help
Even after donating to an organization, there is a lot more you can do on Veterans Day by taking action on your own. Here are some awesome things you can start doing right now:
VISIT A VETERAN
You can find locations to visit here. This has a list of over 1800 veteran affairs locations on the US you can visit, so finding one closer to your home should not be difficult. Feel free to visit these locations and talk to veterans, bring them gifts, or simply show up and talk to them.
OFFER FREE RIDES TO DISABLED VETERANS
Along your visits you might find disabled veterans and their families who might need help with transportation. You can offer free rides for some time, or even on a regular basis.
WRITE LETTERS
Writing letters doesn’t take a lot of time and you can send them to any institution you want, even from other states. Another cool idea is to have children write or draw something for a veteran – it makes for a lovely surprise!
LISTEN
The simple act of listening to a fellow veteran is a sign of immense gratitude that is much appreciated. You can talk about their time serving, or about any other lighter subject they want – simply being there for them is already great.
Honor Those We’ve Lost
Now that you’ve done what you can for the living veterans in our country, don’t forget you can also help the families of those we lost. There are many organizations that let you volunteer or donate to help these families:
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
- Folds of Honor - Military Scholarships for Spouses and Children
What are you planning to do on Veterans Day? Have you already started doing something you’d like to share? Feel free to share it in the comments and follow our Facebook page for more useful articles every week!
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