By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com

When U.S. Army Capt. Taylor John-Morton receives a care package, card or photo while on deployment in the Middle East, his entire unit benefits. 

“I send him dried fruit often because he requests it, and everyone in his unit gets at least a piece,” said Kim Morton, Taylor’s mother who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach. “Whether it is a photo, an activity or a card, one package goes to everyone.” 

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That’s what makes the Heartillery Group, a Ponte Vedra Beach-based non-profit organization sending holiday cards to military service members all over the world, so special, said Kim and her husband, U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Morton. 

“These cards provide those connections to people at home not only in an uplifting and therapeutic way, but also to show that this is finite and not forever,” said Richard. “It also shows the soldiers that people at home care and are with you.” 

Kim requested that Taylor, 27, and his unit be added to the card list this year, after recently learning about Heartillery via Facebook. 

Heartillery’s eighth annual Mission Holiday Cards campaign is in need of cards and monetary donations to be able to mail the cards, said Emily Spencer, Heartillery founder and executive director. 

The goal is to send 500,000 cards and to raise $80,000 to cover the shipping costs of such a huge delivery. Last year, Heartillery exceeded its card goal and sent 820,000 cards, and Spencer said they are on track to send well over 500,000 this year. While Spencer does not like to ask for monetary donations, the reality is that shipping such a high volume of cards costs a lot of money. It will cost $56,000 to send 1.5 million cards with 350 cards per box. 

Spencer and the Mortons both said that COVID has made this project more meaningful than ever — for the soldiers and for card senders. 

“Deployment itself is a stressful time away from family all on its own. Now in a pandemic, the situation is more complex. They are in a constant state of quarantine. There is no break, no time to leave. It is a totally new level of isolation and challenges,” said Richard. “These cards give them a little bit of home.” 

Spencer has noticed that more people are sharing details about their lives in the cards than in previous years, reflecting on how grateful they are for what they have even with hardships — most importantly the freedom that the soldiers have given them.

“Their world is totally different than ours. Their reality is totally different. Even a small card gives him a piece of connection to the United States,” said Kim. 

Spencer said she is very grateful for the many community partners who have supported this cause and continue to do so. One such organization is Vets on T.A.P. in Jacksonville. 

“Vets on T.A.P. is a networking group for transitioning service members, veterans and spouses in the greater Jacksonville area. This is our third holiday season working with Emily and Heartillery Group. We enjoy working with Emily because of her fantastic mission, to get cards to our troops deployed overseas during the holidays,” said Will Gibson, CEO/founder of Vets on T.A.P. “Being separated from friends and family over the holidays brings an extra level of stress to an already stressful situation and these cards are a warm reminder from home that we support, care for, and are grateful for the sacrifices that our troops make on our behalf.” 

In light of the pandemic, Heartillery has launched its first ever virtual team program for anyone who wants to do a remote team card project. 

Here’s how to do it: 

  • First go to heartillerygroup.org and click on “Learn More” next to Mission Holiday Cards.
  • Next, click on “Get Started” under Start Your Own Team Fundraiser.
  • Then, either sign up with your Facebook account or email.
  • Finally, pick a team name and a donation goal. 

The team who creates the most cards and generates the most donations will get a special prize from the Heartillery Group at the end of the project. 

The deadline to send cards is Dec. 15. 

“This project brings us all back to those innate feelings of being blessed,” she said. “This is an easy and affordable way to show gratitude and to say thank you to our troops, some of whom never get any mail.” 

Rest-assured, said Spencer, the blessings will go both ways.

For sponsorship opportunities email love@heartillerygroup.org. Holiday cards should be sent to Heartillery Group, P.O. Box 2649, Ponte Vedra, FL 32004. For more information, call (904) 466-7864. 

Photo courtesy Emily Spencer
Five soldiers with card deliveries from Heartillery Group.

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