The Sweet Home Elks Lodge, and Carla Claasen, the wife of one of its members, are working on a project to send signed T-shirts to soldiers.
The Elks and Claasen will make the shirts and then give them to Scouts, schools, churches, retailers and anyone else who wants them for people to sign and decorate.
The shirts will be returned to the Elks and then distributed to soldiers via Christmas care packages.
Local people who have a loved in the military can submit their name and how many the need to go to that soldier’s unit, Claasen said.
“If I had my dream, retailers, banks, doctors’ offices would request them to have on display the week beginning with Veteran’s Day,” she said. “People could stop in and sign one of the shirts. Better yet, they could visit every store or bank that has one and sign it.”
The list of businesses would be on the Elks’ website.
Once the shirts have reached a soldier, that soldier will have a card and know that every pair of hands that has touched that shirt has said a prayer for them, Claasen said. Also, upon their return, they may bring their shirt and proof of service to the Elks Lodge for a free meal.
“We know that although these shirts are being sent to service people that have a relative here, the others in their unit will not be from here and may never have heard of Sweet Home,” Claasen said. “Therefore, the shirt becomes the proverbial message in a bottle. Even if the soldier lives in South Carolina or Iowa and it takes them five years to get here, they can stop in to Elks Lodge 1972 for a free meal, so actually I expect that many years from now, we will still have people trickle into town with a story about the day they got their shirt.”
Claasen and the Elks will start out with 100 shirts on a first-come, first-served basis. If people want to donate to the project, they will keep printing shirts until funds run out.
The project kicks off Saturday night at the Elks Lodge Purple Ball, which raises funds for local food baskets and kicks off Veterans Appreciation Month.
Printed on each T-shirt is the following: “People in Sweet Home, Oregon, are praying for me. Every hand that has touched this shirt has prayed for the soldier that is now wearing it. Upon return, bring this shirt to our lodge for a free meal and a beverage as our thank you for all you have endured. Every soldier serving our country has defended all that we hold dear. These shirts have been signed and decorated by many people in our community, who all believe in you right now and are praying for your safety. This project sponsored by Sweet Home Elks Lodge #1972. Free meal redeemed: (date). Elks Care…. Elks Share.”