East Meadow students send 'Valentines for Veterans'

When students at Barnum Woods and Bowling Green wrote and sent Valentine’s Day cards to hospitalized veterans earlier this year, they did not get to see the impact those few kind words had on the recipients. 

Andy Booth, who will be the commander of the Nassau County American Legion in June, showed the kids what it meant to his fellow veterans during a visit to the schools with Hempstead Town Councilman Gary Hudes on the morning of March 2. 

“It brings tears to some of their eyes because they feel they are not forgotten ” said Booth, a Levittown resident and a veteran of the United States Marine Corp. 

In the eighth year of his Valentines for Veterans program, Hudes explained that he wanted to enhance the experience for students.  

“It adds a new dimension to it,” said Hudes, whose district includes East Meadow and Salisbury. “I think it puts a face on Valentines for Veterans. This is the type of person [they] are sending the cards to.

During separate visits to the schools, a group of Barnum Woods second-graders and a class of Bowling Green first-graders had an opportunity to ask him about his experiences as a serviceman. Hudes also presented the students with Town of Hempstead certificates. 

Booth noted that the attitude toward veterans has varied over time. 

 “I remember when veterans couldn’t get into the schools for anything,” Booth said. “For me, this is refreshing that there is hope over the
horizon.” 

For Booth, the program is valuable for both the children and the veterans who receive the cards. “Not a lot of them have families,” he said. When these kids send them a card,  for them it’s like hitting the lottery.”

Alison Parrin, whose second-grade class met Booth at Barnum Woods, said the program goes well with the school’s emphasis on character education.

It demonstrates to the children “how to give back,” Parrin said. “Giving back is part of being a good citizen.”