Mount Saint Mary Students Send Thank You Cards to Veterans

Mount Saint Mary College students gathered on Thursday Nov. 6 in Newburgh to create handwritten thank you cards for veterans across the Hudson Valley, organizers said. The project was led by the college Leadership & Scholarship Students program and produced dozens of personalized notes and patriotic illustrations that were distributed to local veterans facilities and organizations in time for Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

Photographs from the event show students at work, and a submitted image by Lee Ferris documents the assembly of cards on campus. Many of the messages conveyed gratitude for military service, including a line that read “Your service and dedication for our country will never be forgotten,” from one student note. The cards were delivered to several Hudson Valley locations where veterans receive services and where personal recognition on national observances is often welcomed.

The outreach highlights the ways higher education institutions can connect student civic activity with veteran support services. By organizing a hands on, campus based initiative the college provided a structured opportunity for students to participate in community service while strengthening ties between the institution and local veteran organizations. For veterans the gestures offer a low cost, direct expression of community recognition that can complement formal programs and benefits administered by county and state agencies.

Local impact extends beyond the immediate recipients. Campus volunteer programs like this one aim to cultivate civic habits among young adults, encouraging sustained community involvement and awareness of public service needs. For Orange County and neighboring municipalities the event illustrates a form of nonpartisan civic engagement that can build social capital between generations and between civic institutions and service providers.

Policy implications are modest but tangible. Increased coordination between colleges and veteran service organizations can improve distribution of informal morale boosting efforts and help identify unmet needs that local government could address through funding or partnership. For county officials and veterans program administrators the initiative serves as an example of a replicable model for engaging student groups in observances and support activities that reinforce community level care.

The Mount Saint Mary card making event represents a local example of civic participation that produced a timely outcome for Veterans Day recipients, and it points to broader opportunities for institutional collaboration to support veterans and foster civic engagement among students.