青青草视频

October 28, 2010

While stationed in Washington State, Kellie Olivier flashed a family photo of her best friend Brittney Welborn to a serviceman friend in the U.S. Marine Corp. Despite never having met her, he recognized that Florida girl in the picture. She was the one who sent his unit goody bags on one of his tours of duty.

Three years ago, Welborn, a 21-year-old Keystone Heights student who attends Santa Fe College鈥檚 Watson Center, founded Helpful Hearts, a community organization that honors the sacrifices of our Armed Forces by sending cards, photographs, and care packages to troops stationed throughout the world.

鈥淲e need to get away from what we think of as a big deal and focus on something that actually is important,鈥� said Welborn. 鈥淭hese people are seeing things that we can鈥檛 even imagine 鈥� they are getting shot at 鈥� and we need to give them back as much love and support as they show us.鈥�

Helpful Heart鈥檚 packages have traveled to 13 different countries, ranging from Cuba to Germany, Japan to Kuwait. Since its inception three years ago, Helpful Hearts has sent over 2,300 鈥済oody bags鈥� to give servicemen a little taste of home through gifts of homemade baked goods, snacks, hygiene items, and other daily comforts.

Hailing from a family deeply entrenched in the military, Welborn first became interested in sending military care packages when she was 18, after reconnecting with her older brother, with whom she had grown apart. As part of a high school assignment to write a letter to a serviceman, Welborn decided to bridge the distance between her and her older brother, who was 26  and stationed far away in Iraq.

鈥淗e told me it meant the world to him that I was trying to get to know him,鈥� said Welborn. 鈥淚t broke my heart to think that my brother might die for my freedom, and I hadn鈥檛 gotten to know him.鈥�

Talking to her older brother helped Welborn understand the hardships of serving abroad and the sense of alienation servicemen often feel.

鈥淲hen I first sent a package to my brother, he told me a lot of guys didn鈥檛 even receive packages from their families,鈥� said Welborn. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine fighting for millions of people and feeling forgotten.鈥�

Wanting to make sure servicemen felt remembered by civilians, Welborn started purchasing comfort items with her own money to send to troops overseas. What started as an individual effort became a community affair, uniting the Keystone Heights area with military from around the world.

鈥淚 have guys [servicemen and women] who write back saying they want to come to Keystone, because they鈥檙e impressed that a small community got together to support them,鈥� said Welborn.

Local youth groups, churches, police, and fire rescue departments have all participated in Helpful Hearts events, and companies like Shepp Warehouse  and the Lake House Restaurant  have stepped up  to support Helpful Heart鈥檚 efforts. Welborn herself even served as a guest teacher in a culinary arts class recently at a Keystone Heights High School, where the students produced over 3,500 cookies for Helpful Hearts bags.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying to reach kids and teenagers to show that they can make a difference. There are so many things you can do. I always felt different than everyone else in high school, so I want to show that you can be different and make a difference,鈥� Welborn said.

The Watson Center of 青青草视频 has also participated in promoting Helpful Hearts, by advertising the organization鈥檚 events on its marquee and placing collection boxes on campus. Welborn hopes to talk with Santa Fe President Jackson Sasser soon about hosting a huge Valentine鈥檚 Day event on campus this upcoming year.

Roughly every three months, Helpful Hearts hosts an event to gather materials and create the cards and packages sent to troops. These events are usually scheduled to coincide with holidays like Christmas, Valentine鈥檚 Day, or the Fourth of July. For the last Helpful Hearts meeting, Welborn鈥檚 father Paul closed his restaurant, The Lake House, for the night to host 100 volunteers. By the end of the night, they had created the 505 packages to send to Afghanistan on Oct. 17.

Currently applying for status as a state not-for-profit organization, Helpful Hearts continues to grow. Welborn has given speeches in Jacksonville and Orlando and has attended numerous yellow ribbon ceremonies across the state. She also recently spoke about Helpful Hearts with FL Governor hopeful Alex Sink.

鈥淓verybody in this world knows someone in the military, so I hope Helpful Heart鈥檚 work goes everywhere. I have people who talk about taking Helpful Hearts to other places outside of Keystone Heights,鈥� said Welborn. 鈥淗elpful Hearts isn鈥檛 just me. It鈥檚 for everyone.鈥�

This press release was written by Allison Griner, Communication Specialist, College Relations.

Contact:

• Brittney Welborn, SF student, 352-278-6167
• Julie Garrett, media relations, for assistance facilitating your story, 352-395-5430 (office) or 352-870-2924 (cell) or julie.garrett@sfcollege.edu