Symonds-Madison Funeral Home hosts fourth annual Gift Drive for Veterans
Symonds-Madison Funeral Home in Elgin will hold its fourth annual Veteran Gift Drive benefiting Elgin-area veterans in hospitals, nursing homes, senior living communities, and those served by local home care agencies.
The drive is hosted by the Operation LOVE volunteer network and has a new option to sponsor local veterans to receive apparel gifts created at Elgin-based Print Loop.
"This gift drive came out of our volunteers' desire to show appreciation to our veterans during the pandemic," said Joy Symonds, owner and founder of Operation LOVE. "We are delighted to see how much it has grown. Last year, we had hundreds of gifts donated to show our veterans that we care."
According to a 2022 article published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, more than half of older military veterans reported feeling lonely sometimes and one in five reported feeling lonely "often." The higher the reported loneliness, the higher the risk of veterans considering suicide, as much as three times the national average. The study concludes that tackling loneliness is an important factor for improving older veterans' quality of life.
Gift drive
Participants are encouraged to spend $25 on a gift for a local veteran. Suggested gifts include: large print books and DVDs (all genres), puzzle books, throw blankets, ball caps and winter hats, puzzles, men's toiletries, puzzle books, and patriotic gifts. Please no food or mouthwash.
Wrapped gifts will be collected at Symonds-Madison Funeral Home, 305 Park St., Elgin, through Friday, Dec. 15. For deliveries after business hours, call the funeral home to coordinate, (847) 741-1128.
Operation LOVE apparel gifts
Through a partnership with Dave Pool, owner of the Elgin-based Print Loop, the community can now sponsor apparel gifts for our veterans. Online orders will be accepted through Nov. 30.
"This year we are excited to add the new option of apparel and thank Print Loop for their partnership," Symonds said. "This opportunity comes at the suggestion of a local senior care center, who reported a similar program was incredibly well-received by their veteran residents several years ago."
The online store can be accessed at stores.inksoft.com/operationlove/shop/home. All orders will be bulk delivered in appropriate sizes to Symonds-Madison Funeral Home for distribution to veterans throughout the community.
Any organization that serves veterans and wants to be involved, either as volunteers or recipients, call Joy Symonds, (847) 741-1168.
About Operation LOVE
The "LOVE" in Operation LOVE stands for "Love Our Veterans Elgin." The mission of Operation LOVE is to honor "unclaimed" veterans at their funerals, connect volunteers with elgin area veterans in need, and strengthen existing Elgin area veterans' service organizations by promoting their events, volunteer opportunities and fundraisers.
Since its launch in March 2020, Operation LOVE members have attended several funerals for unclaimed veterans, hosted successful Christmas gift drives, placed Christmas wreaths on veteran graves, collected hundreds of valentines and Easter baskets for local veterans in hospitals, nursing homes and senior living communities, placed flags at Bluff City Cemetery in honor of Memorial Day, and promoted volunteer opportunities and fundraisers for existing veterans organizations.
To stay informed about future volunteer opportunities, please join the Operation LOVE Group on Facebook, accessible at www.facebook.com/symondsmadison.
Symonds-Madison Funeral Home is a member of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, National Federation of Independent Business and the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce. The family-owned business currently maintains a Five Star Rating on Google. December 2023 marks the 10th Anniversary of Daniel and Joy Symonds owning the Elgin funeral home.
At Symonds-Madison Funeral Home we believe every funeral should be as special as the person it honors. We are a veteran and family-owned funeral home that thrives on helping you create a final, heartfelt experience that exceeds your expectations. Visit www.symondsmadison.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/symondsmadison. Symonds-Madison Funeral Home is the home of Operation L.O.V.E., a community volunteer network dedicated to serving local veterans.