1 Dear Sarah....I am wondering if you could post some information on your blog about my project to support our hospitalized Veterans and our deployed troops ? First, some information about the project. . . My name is Gina Elise and I have been selected this year by the California Jaycees Foundation and the California Jr. Chamber of Commerce as "Outstanding Young Californian" for producing a unique project to help our hospitalized Veterans and deployed troops. I am raising money with my local American Legion Post 360 ( Lake Arrowhead, CA ) for hospital programs to help our ill and injured Veterans. I have also had the honor of being presented with two American flags that were flown in my honor over military bases in Iraq for the project I have produced to raise funds for hospitalized Veterans and boost the morale of the deployed troops. This past year, American Legion Post 360 and I made a sizable donation to a Veterans Hospital from the proceeds raised by my "Pin-Ups For Vets" Calendar Fundraiser. I am hoping that an article you publish will help boost my sales of the calendars. I believe your readers will get behind this project that brings a lot of smiles to our Veterans and troops. This year's proceeds will go to the rehabilitation programs for our ill and injured Vets, who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The proceeds will support a Polytrauma Center--The Polytrauma System of Care reflects VAÂ’s commitment to care for the men and women who have served in uniform. A reality of combat is that some return with loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries, and other severe injuries. The proceeds from the "Pin-Ups for Vets" Calendar will help treat those returning troops who have sustained : Traumatic brain injury (TBI) Fractures Burns Skin or soft tissue injuries Spinal cord injury Hearing loss or damage Visual impairments or blindness Traumatic amputations Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Many of these donated calendars ( inspired by the glamorous pin-ups of the 1940's) will be delivered to the Wounded Warriors on my trips this year to VA and military hospitals--including Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital. I will also be sending many calendars to the deployed troops...and I also have requests by Homeless Veterans Shelters for calendars for their Vets. I also organized care packages to be sent to the troops. I have had a special request by the deployed firefighters in Iraq to put a special picture in my calendar dedicated to firefighters---and I made sure to absolutely do that for them in the 2008 calendar ! My picture to honor the firefighters will be used in the month of September, as a way to honor the firefighters who lost their lives during 9-11. I have spent this year visiting and delivering my calendars to VA and military hospitals in California. The calendars with personalized messages of appreciation from the donors have brightened up the days of so many of our hospitalized Veterans---these messages let them know they have not been forgotten. It has been an honor for me to deliver a bit of joy to these Vets. The calendars have brought them a lot of smiles ! I recently visited the young wounded Marines at the naval hospital in Balboa. It was a wonderful trip there and the Marines were so appreciative of the gift calendars and messages. Besides being the creator of this project, I am also the blonde, redhead, brunette, and black-haired model in the calendar photos ! I am announcing the start of my 2008 calendar sales. You can go to the "Behind The Project" pages to read more about the calendar project on my website and also visit my favorite part of the website...."In the Field" pages where you can see the troops and Vets with the "Pin-Ups For Vets" Calendar. "Stars & Stripes " reported about the project and the deployed troops embraced the calendar for the morale boost it gave them. I also organized care packages to be delivered to each troop member. Donors can go to my website and purchase calendars and posters for themselves, for a hospitalized Veteran, or for a deployed troop member. The response to the 2007 "Pin-Ups For Vets" calendar was awesome ! Can you visit my website at : www.PinUpsForVets.com and let me know if you would be interested in reporting on this story . Please feel free to copy any of the photos from my website to use in your report ! I would appreciate that so much ! Thank you so very much for reporting on this project . Our Veterans and troops need to know they have not been forgotten and the funds this project raises helps support VA and military hospital programs. My 2008 calendar and a special poster are being ordered on-line now at my website or by sending a check to : Gina Elise, P.O. Box 14, Redlands, CA. 92373. The calendars are 22.00 and the posters are 18.00--this includes tax and postage. I know your published report would help promote this project to support our Vets and troops. Thank you ! With Much Appreciation....Gina Elise (www.PinUpsForVets.com )