Dear Military Personnel

Letter Writing Guidelines

Dear Principal, Teacher, Scout Leader, Youth Group Leader, Friend:

For The Troops® is an all volunteer non-profit organization that sends “We Care” packages to our service men and women, filled with basic necessities. The only thing missing in these packages is a letter, card or hand-drawn picture, personally written from someone back home.

We encourage you to have your students write letters to our Troops so that we may include one per care package.

You might even have curriculum that requires children to write letters. This is a perfect fit – applying the standards of letter writing while communicating with an American Hero.

If you are interested in having your students write letters, we have a couple of requests to maintain security, privacy, safety and appropriateness:

Address the letter to: Freedom Fighter or American Hero rather than “Soldier” - not all service members are in the Army.
Students should use initial of last name and also classroom number.
No children’s personal phone numbers or other contact information.
Letters should be uplifting and positive (rather than "I hope you don't get killed”). Kids can write about their pets, what sports, school subjects and activities they like or even about the weather. Or the children can ask what it is like where the Troops are serving. The weather? The landscape?
Please, do not use glitter.
Most of all, thank the Freedom Fighter or Brave Warrior for protecting our country and our Freedoms. We live safe and free because of these brave young men and women.

Send your students’ letters to For The Troops at the P.O. Box listed below.

Thank you in advance. We hope this is not just a one-time event, but rather an on-going project so that we may keep the letters going to our American Heroes. Your consideration of this project is appreciated.

P.S. Also, if you know someone who is deployed…send an email to For The Troops at with the service person’s name and address…and they will be sent a “We Care” package!

Supporting Our Troops One Care Package At A Time

For The Troops
P.O. Box 12
Simi Valley, CA 93062

Headquarters: 2960 Cochran Street, Simi Valley CA 93065
(805) 306-0830

Email:

Federal Tax ID #: 20-8099782, section 501(c)(3)

Letter Writing Guidelines

Additional Guidelines

To Teachers/Leaders:

On the next page, is a sample “template” of a card. Feel free to write your own note. Please staple one of your notes to the back of each letter a child writes, prior to delivering your letters to For The Troops.

The template features 3 cards that you may personalize with your information. The areas on the template denoted by < > symbols are the places to insert your specific information.

Once you have personalized your note, please print it out on bright colored paper so that the Troops see your note, cut out your note and attach one to the back of each letter. Please do not use envelopes. We put these in our care packages.

Personalizing the cards and stapling them to the back of student letters will allow the service person to write in return, if time allows.

Below is a sample of the text included in the template for your review.

______

SAMPLE NOTE FOR TEACHERS/LEADERS

PRINT ON BRIGHT COLOR PAPER SO THE TROOPS SEE IT –ATTACH TO BACK OF LETTERS

Please personalize portions in RED

Dear Freedom Fighter, or American Hero or Military Personnel,

If you have an opportunity to write back to our students, they would love to hear from you! Please send an email to me at > or a letter by U.S.mail, and I will forward it. Our school address is:

Your commitment and dedication to our country are inspiring. By giving our students the opportunity to communicate with you, you give them real life lessons in courage and service.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for our country.

Sincerely,

<Jane Doe

Teacher, Smart Learners School, Classroom #12>

______

Supporting Our Troops One Care Package At A Time

For The Troops
P.O. Box 12, Simi Valley, CA 93062

Headquarters: 2960 Cochran Street, Simi Valley CA 93065

(805) 306-0830

Federal Tax ID #: 20-8099782 section 501(c)(3)

SAMPLE NOTE FOR TEACHERS/LEADERS

PRINT ON BRIGHT COLOR PAPER SO THE TROOPS SEE IT – ATTACH TO BACK OF LETTERS

Please personalize portions in RED

Dear Freedom Fighter, or American Hero or Military Personnel,

If you have an opportunity to write back to our students, they would love to hear from you! Please send an email to me at > or a letter by U.S.mail, and I will forward it. Our school address is:

Your commitment and dedication to our country are inspiring. By giving our students the opportunity to communicate with you, you give them real life lessons in courage and service.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for our country.

Sincerely,

<Jane Doe

Teacher, Smart Learners School, Classroom #12>

______

Dear Freedom Fighter, or American Hero or Military Personnel,

If you have an opportunity to write back to our students, they would love to hear from you! Please send an email to me at > or a letter by U.S.mail, and I will forward it. Our school address is:

Your commitment and dedication to our country are inspiring. By giving our students the opportunity to communicate with you, you give them real life lessons in courage and service.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for our country.

Sincerely,

<Jane Doe

Teacher, Smart Learners School, Classroom #12>

______

Dear Freedom Fighter, or American Hero or Military Personnel,

If you have an opportunity to write back to our students, they would love to hear from you! Please send an email to me at > or a letter by U.S.mail, and I will forward it. Our school address is:

Your commitment and dedication to our country are inspiring. By giving our students the opportunity to communicate with you, you give them real life lessons in courage and service.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for our country.

Sincerely,

<Jane Doe

Teacher, Smart Learners School, Classroom #12>

______