All around the world, people are preparing to celebrate the upcoming holiday season in different ways.

Grand Valley State University has partnered with the American Red Cross to spread the holiday spirit one letter at a time.

Holiday Mail for Heroes began at GVSU over three years ago and each year, volunteers man tables throughout campus. Students, faculty and community members can stop at the booths to jot down a “thank you” or “well wishes” to personnel in the armed forces or veterans.

“Campus dining is not seeking any specific benefit, simply providing an opportunity for members of the campus community to acknowledge service people and veterans,” said Deb Rambadt, marketing manager of GVSU campus dining. “Campus dining partnered with the American Red Cross on this project as a community building effort.

“We were drawn to the idea of doing something for others, and taking the time to thank veterans.”

By hosting the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign, campus dining is responsible for providing cards, staffing the tables and facilitating an opportunity for the community to write letters to veterans and active service members.

Sarah Day, director of service to the armed forces and international services at the American Red Cross Michigan region, has been working closely with campus dining on the project.

“This is an opportunity for our organization, as well as the American citizens, to take a moment to write a thoughtful message to a service member or veteran or their family,” Day said. “It is really an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our local veterans and service members.”

This is the first year that local American Red Cross chapters are organizing, handling and distributing the letters received through this program.

“It has been exciting and a little confusing,” Day said. “Many of our partners were familiar with giving the cards to our national offices or shipping the cards overseas, so kind of redistributing that message to our partners on how to reorganize and connect with our local military and veteran families has been somewhat of a challenge.”

By working with local chapters, rather than on a national level, the American Red Cross can assure that the letters written in a community will remain in that community.

Michigan, with the 10th highest veteran population nationwide, has plenty of veterans to send the cards out to.

“We now have this message that this card you sign here are Grand Valley is going to go to a service member or veteran right here in the West Michigan community,” Day said. “It is a way to celebrate them in our local community, not solely focus on veterans that are overseas or in medical ventures.”

Last year, GVSU reached its goal of 700 cards in a few days. This year, campus dining hopes to receive 1,000 cards. Holiday Mail for Heroes sites began collecting cards on Nov. 11 and will continue to do so until Nov. 18.

“The entire campus community is welcome to participate in this goodwill effort,” Rambadt said. “A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way. It is a quick way to show respect and brighten someone’s day.”

Those wishing to write their gratitude or send good tidings can stop by one of several locations. For a listing of all the times and locations, or more information on the Holiday Mail for Heroes program, visit www.gvsufood.com or www.redcross.org/holidaymail.