At Homestead "V" Is For Valentine And For Veterans

Kindergarten students work on Valentine greetings for friends, family, and veterans with Teacher Lori Palladino.

Kindergarten and first grade students at Homestead School want veterans to know that the sacrifices made by the men and women in the military are appreciated-and Valentine's Day is the perfect day to tell them. The students marked the holiday by making cards for veterans who are patients in nearby veterans' hospitals. The most popular message: Thank you for protecting our country and keeping us safe.

Shortly before Valentine's Day, the cards were collected by the Valentines for Veterans programs administered by the Office of the County Executive and the Town of Hempstead Councilmatic District #2. The cards were then delivered to veterans organizations, which, in turn, delivered them into the hands of hospitalized veterans.

"Valentine's Day also gives us a chance to learn lots of important things, like all about the letter 'V' and about how mail is delivered," Kindergarten Teacher Lori Palladino said. For example, the students made Valentine cards for friends, family, and teachers; addressed and stamped their creations; and took them to the "post office," where the "mail crew" canceled, sorted, and delivered each item-no small task since each student has a personal Valentine mailbox waiting to receive messages.

Joe Trepasso and son Matthew, Donna Fenty and daughter Donna, and Jennifer Gibbon and daughter Mary made heart-shaped pillows together.

Students in Lori Palladino's kindergarten class show off their heart-shaped Valentine pillows. Joe Trepasso, whose son Matthew is in Lori Palladino's kindergarten class, helps a student sew her Valentine pillow. Hempstead Councilman Edward Ambrosino visited Homestead School to pick up Valentine messages for delivery to veterans.