Grateful for Operation Christmas Child Participants

I am writing to thank La Crescenta residents for sharing the true meaning of Christmas with children in need this past holiday season.

Because of the generosity of donors in La Crescenta and across the United States, Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, collected more than 8.9 million shoebox gifts in 2019. Combined with those collected from partnering countries in 2019, the ministry is now sending 10,569,405 shoebox gifts to children worldwide.

Through shoeboxes – packed with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items – La Crescenta volunteers brought joy to children in need around the world. Each gift-filled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received. Thanks to the generosity of donors, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 178 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories since 1993.

It’s not too late for people to make a difference. Though drop-off locations serving La Crescenta are closed until Nov. 16 – 23, 2020, information about year-round volunteer opportunities can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ or by calling (714) 432- 2950.

Thank you again to everyone who participated in this global project – many who do so year after year. These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message to children worldwide that they are loved and not forgotten.

Sincerely,

Dana Williams

Operation Christmas Child

Boone, North Carolina

Thank You For Your Service    

When I was discharged from serving in Viet Nam there was no [ticker] tape parade down Main Street for my comrades in arms. We just went home, blended into society [from] what became known as a thankless war. It wasn’t till a few years back, as part of the American Legion in La Crescenta, did I feel I received some recognition for serving. The Legion float for veterans went down Honolulu Avenue during the Annual Montrose Christmas Parade and the parade viewers stood up and applauded us veterans.

I lost my hair early on and always wore a baseball cap whenever I went outside. After joining the American Legion about 10 years ago, I started wearing army veterans’ baseball caps. Through the years, I was surprised when people I passed on the street would say, “Thank you for your service.” The number of thanks and “May I help you?” comments became more frequent as the years went by. I started asking myself [if] people [were] stopping me because of my age or was it because of a renewed sense of patriotism in this country and there was a new commander-in-chief in the White House … just asking.

Mike Mohill

Glendale