Blue Star Mothers New York Chapter 14 has learned that even the smallest gesture can have a lasting impact on a veteran.
Andrea Nordquist, president of the chapter, said the group recently sat down as a board to take stock of its work and was surprised by how much it had accomplished.
“We know we’re busy, but until we put it down on paper, we didn’t realize how much we were actually doing,” Nordquist said during an interview with Richard Acritelli on The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv.
Among the projects that stood out was a “Rosie” event, inspired by Rosie the Riveter, where members sewed colorful pillowcases for veterans going in for day treatments. The idea, Nordquist said, was simply to give them “something nice.”
The next Rosie event grew even larger. The group purchased 500 small Christmas trees from Dollar Tree and repurposed red bows collected from wreaths placed through Wreaths Across America. Members added handmade tree skirts and tags explaining the meaning of the bows.
The trees were given to veterans, elected officials and participants at a Stand Down event.
One veteran told the group he had not decorated his home in eight years, but would put the tree out. Another said he lived in his car and would use the tree to decorate it.
“We thought, no, wait,” Nordquist said, explaining that the group pulled him aside and connected him with someone who could try to help him find housing.
A young woman veteran with tremors was also deeply moved, stroking the small tree as she cried.
“Sometimes you don’t realize that the smallest little thing you do for someone can make such a difference,” Nordquist said.
This year, the group plans to make 500 wreaths using the same red bows.
The chapter also collects yarn for veterans in a prison program near Buffalo, where participants learn to crochet and knit hats, scarves, mittens and toys for underprivileged children. Nordquist said the group has donated 20 to 25 large bags of yarn.
The work has also included unusual requests, from buying nearly 150 Hawaiian shirts for a veterans’ luau during COVID to sewing patches onto 99 shirts for Vet Mart volunteers on short notice.
Nordquist said the strength of the chapter is its ability to find a role for everyone.
“That is the beauty of my Blue Star moms,” she said. “I can put some phone calls out and say, ‘We need this,’ and people step up.”
The group also cooks dinner monthly for veterans at Liberty Village in Amityville and helped place a “22 a day” suicide awareness sign at Klestinec Park in Massapequa.
Nordquist said money and public awareness remain challenges, but the mission continues.
“Every dollar helps,” she said. “Those are the moments that encourage you to keep doing the work.”