Latest / The iHeart SoCal Show / Operation Gratitude

Transcript

Operation Gratitude · The iHeart SoCal Show

0:00
Speaker 1: It is Lisa Fox now switching gears to talk all
0:02
Speaker 1: things Operation Gratitude. They have a huge Day of Service
0:06
Speaker 1: happening next Saturday here locally, and their mission is to
0:09
Speaker 1: help us say thank you to our military and first
0:11
Speaker 1: responder communities and honor their service by creating opportunities for
0:16
Speaker 1: all of us to be able to express our gratitude
0:18
Speaker 1: for all that they do. There are many ways we
0:20
Speaker 1: can do it together in person at their facility in Chatsworth,
0:23
Speaker 1: and oh yeah, from anywhere in the world, like from
0:26
Speaker 1: your very own living room. Their website Operation gratitude dot
0:29
Speaker 1: com for all the info. But I at first let's
0:31
Speaker 1: dive into it with their president and executive director, Emily Schwartz.
0:34
Speaker 2: Hi.
0:34
Speaker 1: Emily, Hi, Lisa. I feel like I'm welcoming you to
0:37
Speaker 1: the Operation Gratitude family because I've been a fan of
0:39
Speaker 1: this organization for so many years. I've had, of course,
0:42
Speaker 1: at Carolyn Blaschek, their founder, on many times, and other
0:46
Speaker 1: folks volunteers over the years, and just am so in
0:50
Speaker 1: awe of how you all are able to deliver like
0:52
Speaker 1: a million care packages to our troops and people in
0:55
Speaker 1: need every single year. Just wow, it's a lot of
0:58
Speaker 1: hard work, but a lot of love, lot.
1:00
Speaker 2: Of love, so much love, so much love, and we
1:03
Speaker 2: love you. Lisa. You've been such a wonderful long time
1:06
Speaker 2: supporter with us, and I've been volunteering with the organization
1:10
Speaker 2: since two thousand and eight, and I love listening to
1:14
Speaker 2: your show and hearing how how much you love for
1:17
Speaker 2: Easient Gratitude. I mean, it's just so special to be
1:20
Speaker 2: in this position now and to do it from a
1:22
Speaker 2: different vantage point. It's such a special organization.
1:26
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh you're sweet, well, thank you, thank you for
1:27
Speaker 1: the kind words, and so as a volunteer, then you
1:30
Speaker 1: know firsthand what it's like to do all the work
1:33
Speaker 1: that it takes to put into these care packages filled
1:35
Speaker 1: with love, but i'll also filled with needed items that
1:38
Speaker 1: our service members need and cherish.
1:41
Speaker 2: Yes, I couldn't agree more. Everything that goes into these
1:46
Speaker 2: care packages is so cherished and so loved by the
1:50
Speaker 2: recipients and also just put in with so much love
1:53
Speaker 2: from the people who donate them, and especially the letters,
1:56
Speaker 2: the handwritten letters of support are really the part of
2:00
Speaker 2: every care package. We consistently hear that they're the first
2:05
Speaker 2: thing that the recipients read and the thing that they
2:08
Speaker 2: really keep and they hold on to.
2:09
Speaker 1: I love that.
2:11
Speaker 2: One veteran told us that after a really difficult stretch,
2:14
Speaker 2: reading a total stranger's note reminded him that his service
2:18
Speaker 2: didn't go unnoticed. And it sounds really simple, but being
2:23
Speaker 2: seen really really matters, and.
2:26
Speaker 1: A little something, a little love from home, you know.
2:27
Speaker 1: I mean, people are out there on so many missions
2:30
Speaker 1: around the world, whether they're defending our country or helping
2:33
Speaker 1: you know, we're kind of involved in a lot of
2:34
Speaker 1: other countries business right now as well. But for them
2:37
Speaker 1: to feel that love and appreciation from home is everything,
2:40
Speaker 1: especially for soldiers who don't necessarily have a big family
2:43
Speaker 1: or aren't you know, getting notes and goodies and care packages,
2:47
Speaker 1: just these special boxes from you guys means so much,
2:51
Speaker 1: and they're so easy to put together and do for
2:53
Speaker 1: so many types of people that you send them to.
2:56
Speaker 2: Yes, oh, one hundred percent, Lisa. And so we serve
3:00
Speaker 2: deployed service members, we serve veterans, we serve new recruits,
3:03
Speaker 2: military families, and first responders right here in our local
3:07
Speaker 2: communities too. And these are these are the people who
3:11
Speaker 2: show up for all of us in our country every
3:14
Speaker 2: single day, and often quietly, often without recognition. And so
3:18
Speaker 2: our mission at Operation Gratitude is to make sure that
3:22
Speaker 2: they know that their service matters and to give every
3:25
Speaker 2: American the opportunity to say thank you to them.
3:27
Speaker 1: And also dar I say, easy and affordable to help
3:30
Speaker 1: do this. Is it still just twenty five dollars a
3:32
Speaker 1: sponsor a care package to be sent.
3:34
Speaker 2: It's still twenty five bucks, very Yeah, it's still twenty
3:37
Speaker 2: five bucks. Yep, yep, yep, yep. Yeah. And so there's
3:40
Speaker 2: a lot that's happening. We've got some big changes happening
3:43
Speaker 2: at the organization, big exciting changes that are happening at
3:46
Speaker 2: the organization, and we're so excited to take this across
3:49
Speaker 2: the country now.
3:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, so break it down how it's going to work.
3:52
Speaker 1: You got the big voluntary event happening in person and
3:55
Speaker 1: Chatsworth all day next Saturday, from like well nine to noon,
3:58
Speaker 1: nine to noon. And then explain how we're going to
4:00
Speaker 1: be doing these care packages from home across the country.
4:04
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, So on February twenty first, volunteers are going
4:08
Speaker 2: to gather at our Chatforth location here into assemble care
4:11
Speaker 2: packages for veterans. We're doing veterans on that deck, which
4:15
Speaker 2: is continuing our long standing tradition of hands on service
4:19
Speaker 2: via an assembly line at the same time, across the country,
4:24
Speaker 2: volunteers in several different states. I think we're up to
4:27
Speaker 2: fifteen states right now, and next number continues to grow
4:30
Speaker 2: every single day. Great. Yeah, volunteers have actually signed up
4:35
Speaker 2: for our special thank You Activation event that we're doing,
4:40
Speaker 2: where they will be delivering handwritten messages of gratitude and
4:44
Speaker 2: a special Operation Gratitude box that they have signed up
4:47
Speaker 2: to receive from us, and they'll be able to deliver
4:51
Speaker 2: that directly to their local first responder stations in their communities.
4:55
Speaker 2: Oh got it, Okay, right, It's very cool, and we'll
4:58
Speaker 2: also have the opportunity to do that here. Volunteers here
5:01
Speaker 2: in Southern California have the opportunity to do that as well,
5:04
Speaker 2: right here in Southern California too. And what's powerful about
5:07
Speaker 2: this event is that Gratitude isn't just happening in one
5:11
Speaker 2: place in one building here in Chats It's happening in
5:15
Speaker 2: communities nationwide. And we're so excited to engage volunteers all
5:20
Speaker 2: across the country. And so if you want to come
5:22
Speaker 2: and work on an assembly an assembly day, come and
5:26
Speaker 2: join us at our assembly event on the twenty first,
5:29
Speaker 2: and if you want to take part in this amazing
5:32
Speaker 2: nationwide event, if you can't be here in person, we
5:35
Speaker 2: actually have a link on our website to join this
5:38
Speaker 2: activation where you can receive your own Operation Gratitude box
5:41
Speaker 2: off the assembly line and hand deliver that to a
5:44
Speaker 2: first responder in your community.
5:46
Speaker 1: So when we get the box, do we fill the
5:48
Speaker 1: box or is the box already filled? That's what you're
5:50
Speaker 1: doing in Chatsworth. You're filling the boxes with all the
5:52
Speaker 1: care package goodies.
5:53
Speaker 2: They're already filled here by volunteers here. We've had volunteers
5:56
Speaker 2: filling those boxes here, yep. So we'll have it already
6:00
Speaker 2: set for you. But we encourage everybody to write their
6:02
Speaker 2: own handwritten letter of thanks to include in that box
6:05
Speaker 2: when they go to deliver it to their first responders,
6:08
Speaker 2: so they'll it'll be a little bit of both.
6:10
Speaker 1: Okay, folks, are you in the area next Saturday Saturday
6:13
Speaker 1: morning to help you part of this helping to put
6:15
Speaker 1: together care packages and write letters for our military, our
6:19
Speaker 1: blood military, active duty veterans, first responders. It'll be from
6:23
Speaker 1: nine to twelve.
6:24
Speaker 2: Right, yep, you got it am nine am to usually
6:27
Speaker 2: like eleven or twelve is usually when we when we
6:29
Speaker 2: wrap up.
6:30
Speaker 1: So we're packing that crazy for a couple hours, packing that.
6:33
Speaker 2: Crazy like crazy, we are ready to go.
6:35
Speaker 1: So is the whole process changing now because before we
6:38
Speaker 1: were able to donate items to go in the care
6:40
Speaker 1: packages for Operation Gratitude.
6:42
Speaker 2: So we're actually not taking donations anymore. You're at, Yeah,
6:46
Speaker 2: we're not taking donations here anymore. So the best way
6:49
Speaker 2: to donate and to still help us fulfill our mission
6:52
Speaker 2: is to make a donation to Operation Gratitude on our website.
6:56
Speaker 2: But coming very soon is going to be a community
6:59
Speaker 2: Resource Hub, which is going to be the digital home
7:01
Speaker 2: for all things Operation Gratitudes. But we're actually going to
7:04
Speaker 2: provide the resources and the tools and all the how
7:07
Speaker 2: to guides in a digital space for you to actually
7:10
Speaker 2: be able to make your own have your own collection drives,
7:14
Speaker 2: have your own letter writing campaign, make parachord bracelets that
7:18
Speaker 2: you can actually hand delivered to local heroes in your
7:21
Speaker 2: own hometown. So we're creating all of those toolkits now
7:24
Speaker 2: and that's going to be launching very soon. Got it.
7:26
Speaker 1: Got it so to make it easier because I know
7:28
Speaker 1: before we had a list on the website that was
7:30
Speaker 1: what we could donate. Things like the drink mixes, the
7:32
Speaker 1: beef jerky, new puzzles.
7:34
Speaker 2: All those things will still be there, yep. And instead
7:36
Speaker 2: of you sending them into us, we're going to teach
7:39
Speaker 2: you how to do it right there in your hometown.
7:40
Speaker 2: You can organize it with your volunteer groups. You can
7:43
Speaker 2: organize it with your Girl Scout troops with yours, with
7:46
Speaker 2: your classrooms, with your church groups, all of those things
7:49
Speaker 2: that you can actually work together with your friends and
7:51
Speaker 2: family and your local heroes to actually do this right
7:56
Speaker 2: in your own community.
7:57
Speaker 1: And also there are different needs for those serving right
8:00
Speaker 1: now overseas versus a veteran locally versus a first responder
8:05
Speaker 1: locally who you want to thank for something.
8:07
Speaker 2: So one hundred percent yeah, So you.
8:09
Speaker 1: Guys would lay out all the needs for us to
8:10
Speaker 1: be able to do this on our own from home,
8:12
Speaker 1: for each type of person that we're sending care packages to.
8:15
Speaker 2: Yep, We're going to light everything out for you, make
8:18
Speaker 2: it super easy, give you the full how to. We've
8:21
Speaker 2: got templates, we've got scripts, we've got you know, all
8:25
Speaker 2: video tutorials, We've got people to be in touch with you.
8:28
Speaker 2: It's going to be a really exciting new chapter for
8:31
Speaker 2: Operation Gratitude.
8:32
Speaker 1: And can you talk about the teddy bears that you
8:34
Speaker 1: send to children of service members. We're still doing the
8:37
Speaker 1: Battalion buddies, right, we.
8:38
Speaker 2: Sure are, We sure are. We've got our Battalion Buddy
8:41
Speaker 2: program where we're still use so sweet. I know, I
8:45
Speaker 2: love it. It's such a rewarding program that we have to
8:49
Speaker 2: help kids and families feel a little bit more comfort
8:53
Speaker 2: while their loved ones are away.
8:55
Speaker 1: And the bear is adorable. It's such as sweet bear.
8:57
Speaker 1: And again, there's more information on their website, Operation Attitude
9:00
Speaker 1: dot com as you can learn about who they send
9:03
Speaker 1: these care packages to, like Emily mentioned active duty veterans,
9:06
Speaker 1: first responders, and children of service members. And I just
9:10
Speaker 1: remind everyone again how this all began. I love Carolyn's
9:13
Speaker 1: story and it was just, I mean, again, things happen
9:17
Speaker 1: in life and you think, gosh, that's terrible, but she
9:20
Speaker 1: did something about it and started this movement back in
9:22
Speaker 1: two thousand and three, and here we are all these
9:25
Speaker 1: years later with millions of packages sent to a variety
9:28
Speaker 1: of people who it's truly touched their lives. Sure her
9:31
Speaker 1: her story as to why she started Operation Gratitude absolutely.
9:35
Speaker 2: Carolyn Blashik has been such an inspiration to so many people.
9:39
Speaker 2: Just really started because a mom had an idea, right she.
9:44
Speaker 2: Operation Gratitude is founded by Carolyn Blashick with just a
9:47
Speaker 2: very simple but powerful idea that every service member and
9:51
Speaker 2: first responder and veteran deserves to know that their country
9:54
Speaker 2: sees them and appreciates them. And what started as one
9:58
Speaker 2: woman assembling care packaging in her dining room has really
10:01
Speaker 2: grown into this nationwide movement of gratitude. You know, she
10:05
Speaker 2: met a service member right before they were heading out
10:07
Speaker 2: for their deployment and he said, I don't even know
10:10
Speaker 2: what I'm coming back to. I don't know, nobody really
10:14
Speaker 2: cares that I'm going to be gone. And that really
10:17
Speaker 2: stuck with her and she never wanted any service member
10:20
Speaker 2: to feel that way ever again. So she got back
10:23
Speaker 2: to when Yeah, so she got back to when her
10:25
Speaker 2: kids went away to sleep away camp. What made them
10:27
Speaker 2: feel like someone back home was thinking of them. She thought,
10:30
Speaker 2: a care package and it was so simple and from
10:34
Speaker 2: that moment, that's when Operation Gratitude was born, and it
10:37
Speaker 2: started in her living room, moved to her garage, and
10:40
Speaker 2: then eventually to the National Guard Armory and here we are,
10:44
Speaker 2: you know, home two warehouses later, and now we're saying,
10:48
Speaker 2: you know what, this Operation Gratitude doesn't live in one place,
10:51
Speaker 2: in one community. It lives in every community across the country.
10:55
Speaker 2: And so she believed that saying thank you isn't symbolic,
10:59
Speaker 2: it's stableized, and it reminds those who serve that they're
11:04
Speaker 2: not alone.
11:05
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I love you're doing this for veterans next Saturday.
11:08
Speaker 1: We're not waiting for Veterans Day. The veterans always need
11:10
Speaker 1: some love. They always need new socks, they always need
11:13
Speaker 1: snacks and love and to know that their community cares
11:17
Speaker 1: about them. So, and you have regular volunteer days, like
11:20
Speaker 1: you said in person there in Chatsworth, regularly, right, So
11:22
Speaker 1: people can sign up for the email list or check
11:24
Speaker 1: the website to find out when the regular volunteer days are.
11:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, they can come in five days a week. We've
11:28
Speaker 2: got a schedule up there. We welcome everybody to come in.
11:31
Speaker 2: We we've got lots to do, definitely different, lots of
11:34
Speaker 2: opportunities to volunteer. And if you're not in southern California,
11:38
Speaker 2: if you're not in the immediate area, there's plenty of
11:41
Speaker 2: ways to volunteer and connect with us.
11:43
Speaker 1: It's such an easy way to thank people who deserve
11:47
Speaker 1: to be thanked. Thank you for your service. Active duty military,
11:51
Speaker 1: are veterans, local first responders, and children saying those sweet
11:55
Speaker 1: little teddy birds that children of service members who are
11:57
Speaker 1: so missing their family who are usually overseas, you know,
12:02
Speaker 1: serving out of the country for Lord knows how long.
12:04
Speaker 1: Volunteer in person, volunteer from your own home by putting
12:08
Speaker 1: together care packages. There's so many ways to get involved,
12:11
Speaker 1: but at first I would encourage if you're able to
12:12
Speaker 1: go next Saturday in Chatsworth to do it in person
12:15
Speaker 1: and meet some like minded people who want to pack
12:18
Speaker 1: these care packages and write those personal notes that mean
12:20
Speaker 1: so much to so many. We encourage you to go
12:23
Speaker 1: to their website right now get all the information Operation
12:26
Speaker 1: Gratitude dot com Operation Gratitude dot com, and to their
12:30
Speaker 1: new president and executive director, Emily Schwartz, thank you so
12:33
Speaker 1: much for all that you do in your whole team
12:35
Speaker 1: at the Operation Gratitude.
12:36
Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you, Oh my god. Lis