Students take military to heart

WASILLA — In Angela Blake’s kindergarten classroom at Shaw Elementary School, pink and red Valentine’s Day cards are strewn across tabletops.

Students reach for art supplies and start to color, snip and plaster stickers onto their creations. Some cover their projects with their hands, as if to keep the art underneath a secret, while others share advice about what crayons are the best of the best.

These efforts of affection aren’t going home with students at the end of the day. The valentines are for members of the U.S. Armed Forces. A message typed atop each card reads: “People who serve make fine Valentines.”

Liberty Tax Service, a national tax preparing agency, has partnered with local schools around the country and Valentines for Troops, a Southern California-based organization, to ship hundreds of thousands of valentines to those serving their country overseas. More than 1.7 million cards and letters of thanks have been collected and delivered to overseas troops since 2003, the company reports.

Cards from Blake’s class will be sent later this week to the Valentines for Troops headquarters in California, where they will then be routed overseas to unsuspecting servicemen and women.

Chris Cork at Wasilla’s Liberty Tax office said he’s been involved with the project for two years, and the response from schools has been welcome.

“We’ll get out well over 100 cards total,” Cork said. “We always have fun with it.”

Larson Elementary School students also participated in making valentines earlier this month.

Blake said that when she was approached by the local Liberty Tax office to help with the project, she was thrilled.

“I’m so patriotic, I jumped at the chance to honor the troops,” she said. “It was important to do this and model to these young citizens how we respect our country. They learn that our military stand proud and tall.”

“Turbo,” or Benjamin Hughes to the rest of the world, is one of many promotional wavers for the Liberty Tax agency in Wasilla, spending most of his day dancing and carrying on along Frontage Road off the Parks Highway to promote tax season. His jubilant demeanor and high energy earned him a national award from the company.

Yesterday morning, Hughes arrived at Blake’s room dressed in his work costume as the Statue of Liberty. Bearing liberty crowns for all the students to wear, Hughes handed out doughnuts and danced for the kids, showing them his roadside talent.

“I put out as much as I can when I’m in costume,” Hughes said. “I try to exert myself.”

At the craft tables, Kendra Corbin, 5, shares her pink message of gratitude with her table mates. She points to a smiling brown stick figure holding a flag.

“That’s my dad,” Corbin says. “He’s in the Army.”

Corbin’s father, Jim, is a full-time active-duty member of the U.S. Army National Guard stationed in Wasilla. For the kids learning about the armed forces in Blake’s class, Kendra is the authority.

“Kendra’s dad comes in dressed in his fatigues a lot,” Blake informs her class. “He is one of the men honoring our country like the ones we talked about.”

Devin Briggs marches around his table and picks his crayons. With the help of Blake, he writes his name in bold letters and finishes coloring in hearts.

Under his Army men picture reads, “Thank you for protecting us, Devin.” He holds it up for all the class to see, proud of his artistic achievement.

“I really like it,” Devin says with a grin. “It’s my favorite.”

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com.