PEORIA, Ill. — Be a veteran’s Valentine.
17th District Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has rolled out her annual “Valentines for Veterans” program.
In its 7th year, the program encourages constituents across the district to create Valentine’s Day cards for veterans, which are hand-delivered by Bustos and her staff.
“I travel around my district — all 7,000 square miles of it — and meet veterans in every corner and every town, and you realize in a job like I have just how much our veterans have done for our democracy, families, and freedom,” she said.
“We work with schoolchildren, mostly, who find their own artistic way to say thank you.
“This goes over really, really well. I’ve seen veterans with tears in their eyes when we give these to them.”
While children have traditionally been the biggest participants in the program, Bustos said, people of all ages are encouraged to take part, but with one caveat: the Valentine needs to be homemade.
“Believe it or not, there are very strict ethics rules about what we’re able to accept. There’s not a monetary value of making a handmade Valentine.”
Bustos said she and her staff typically deliver them en masse at veterans’ hospitals, Veterans of Foreign Wars halls, and American Legions, but they can be delivered individually.
“If somebody has a personal request, let’s say they have a dad or mom or brother or sister who’s served and maybe they’re feeling down, just let us know,” she said.
“We’d like this to be as special as it possibly can be, and if there’s a veteran out there who wants to make sure they get a Valentine, we want to make sure we know about them, and just contact our office and we’ll help them out.”
The deadline for submission was set for Feb. 11.
Valentines may be submitted in-person or by mail at the following address:
820 SW Adams St.
Peoria, IL 61602
