NORFOLK -- It may be July but in Norfolk, Diane Voskuhl's dining room it feels like Christmas. That's because Voskuhl is busy getting Christmas Cards ready for our service members deployed overseas. She has to have the cards all done and sent by September.
Voskuhl is one of about 6,000 volunteers around the country who participate in Operation Write Home. The non-profit organization was started in 2007 by Sandy Allnock, a crafter in Washington state. Now, four years later the organization has sent out its one-millionth card.
For Voskuhl this is a labor of love. She enjoys making the cards and knows that they are appreciated by the men and women who receive them. She's only been volunteering since October but already she's made more than 1,500 cards.
And it's not just Christmas cards they make. Voskuhl says they make cards for everything like "miss you, thank you, and birthday cards.
The cards are free for the servicemembers who get to pick through the boxes that arrive. The cost of making them is handled by crafters like Voskuhl and donations. Voskuhl says the costs can add up, but to her it's worth it.
"They get a lot of letters from the troops saying how much they appreciate it," said Voskuhl.
When it comes to making the cards, there are some rules the volunteers have to follow. Voskuhl says they have to be homemade, you can't use glue sticks, and most importantly she says no glitter because "at night you don't want sparkles on our troops to give them away."
Voskuhl says they are always looking for volunteers and donations. If you would like to find out more about Operation Write Home you can head to www.operationwritehome.org for more information.
Voskuhl says she and the other crafters plans to keep making cards until all the troops come home.
