Amy Grant surprises, thanks Janesa Wine at Red Cross Office

Eleven-year-old Janesa Wine, received the surprise of her life when Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet member, Amy Grant, stopped by the Nashville office to personally thank her for work during this year’s Holiday Mail for Heroes Campaign on Nov. 29. Wine, who was inspired by Amy Grant’s 2010 Holiday Mail for Heroes public service announcement, became involved in the Holiday Mail for Heroes program in three years ago. Since then, her efforts have expanded significantly, and she has collected and obtained over 14,000 cards complete with heart-felt messages.

“We couldn’t be more amazed at the effort Janesa and her family has undertaken to collect the cards and see that all 14,000 received a special message for our troops,” said Rebekah Brummett, Service to the Armed Forces specialist at the Nashville Area Chapter. “We know of no other effort like Janesa’s in the entire country and we were equally thrilled when one of our own Tiffany Circle members, Amy Grant, came by our Nashville office to surprise and thank Janesa for her achievement.”

The Tiffany Circle is a network of women leaders and philanthropists who have joined together to invest in the mission of the American Red Cross. Local Tiffany Circle members hosted two card signing events this year to encourage the community to get involved with the Holiday Mail for Heroes Campaign. The cards and personal messages, sent by tens of thousands of Americans, provide a welcome ‘touch of home’ for our troops during the holiday season.

“I think she’s a young woman that really understands the value of community,” Grant said. “And I think that’s what a kid does. A kid gets to the heart of a story. They’re not thinking about the mechanics. They’re thinking, ‘What? Somebody’s not home. They need to hear from somebody that loves them.'”

Each year the American Red Cross provides assistance to more than two million service members and many of our nation’s 24 million veterans. Red Cross supports military families, military and veterans hospitals and provides emergency communications across the globe. And once a year, they deliver holiday cards to veterans, military families and active-duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world.

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.