Two hundred volunteers will come together in Dale City, Virginia on Dec. 6 to pack 25,000 holiday ornaments for service members, veterans, and their families from every branch of the military who have been wounded, ill, or injured.
This is the 17th year that veteran nonprofit Semper Fi & America’s Fund will ensure the nation’s heroes feel a spirit of support and appreciation during the holiday season.
“The ornament packing party started back in 2009,” said Brent Petersen, senior director of outreach at The Fund. “We wanted to show the service members that we were thinking of them during the holidays, a time that is tough for many people. The first year, with the help of a small and mighty group from the USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment, we organized the packing of a few thousand ornaments and sent them to the men and women as a reminder that they were never alone.”
Every year since, The Fund has come together in early December to send service members a “reminder that we are family, that they are not forgotten, and that we will be by their sides through each step of their journey,” he said. “In 2020, we mailed out 19,500 ornaments, and this year in 2025, we will be mailing right at 25,000 ornaments with the help of over 200 volunteers, staff, and supporters who want to pack some joy for those we serve.”
The Fund is dedicated to providing immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to our Nation’s critically wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and military families of all branches of the military. Its programs and services are operated through a “needs-based” approach. Staff and volunteers work one-on-one with service members, veterans, and military families – providing ongoing support for as long as legitimate needs require.
Case managers often introduce new programs to further assist service members and military families throughout the journey to recovery and transition back into their communities.
Petersen said as the number of service members The Fund assists grows over the years, so does the number of ornaments it mails out. Its need for volunteers to help with the effort also expanded.
“We quickly grew to mailing 13,000 in 2015, assisted by over 100 supporters,” he said. “This is the year that we were welcomed into the Chesty Puller VFW, our new ornament packing home.”
Petersen said the ornament packing event means so much to so many people.
“It is personally one of my favorite events because we’re able to rally the community around a common goal and welcome them into our family during this meaningful and joyous event,” he said. “Where else can you get so much work done in such a fun environment? It’s great to see new and old faces at the event, full of happiness, working side by side. Some people look forward to this event all year long. We pack, we sing, we play games, we enjoy fellowship at lunch, and we smile knowing that what we are doing makes a difference.”
To date, The Fund has sent out more than 277,700 ornaments.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.