With the help of the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross, Wells Fargo Bank, area newspapers and hundreds of creative colorers, local troops will soon be receiving a little bit of holiday cheer from home. Many of the 536 Thanksgiving greetings colored by Duluthians ages three to 95 were displayed at the Northland Red Cross building last week before being shipped overseas. Prior to that the turkeys were displayed in the Wells Fargo lobby on Superior Street. "It's a great way to let the kids know their coloring paid off," said Marsha Blackburn, senior vice president of Wells Fargo.
Blackburn said the idea to send holiday greetings to Northland troops came about during a meeting with the Duluth News Tribune. She said the details were decided in a matter a minutes, as everyone was eager to see the idea become reality. "Every single turkey is different," Blackburn said. "Their imaginations just ran wild. Many of the artists wrote heart-felt messages on the turkey." One message read, "Thank you for protecting us, and please stay safe."
The Red Cross will be sending the turkey greetings to a unit from Cloquet stationed in Iraq and a unit from Park Point stationed in Afghanistan. "It's a wonderful way for us to send a message to men and women overseas," Blackburn said. "We want troops to know that we remember how important what they're doing is and we're thinking about them." |