During this holiday season, it's important to remember how much our brave women and men in uniform do for America.
And when these vets return to civilian life? They often still find a way to serve — like this retired serviceman who started the "Human Hug Project" to help heal others in the military.
And when I learned how one glamorous woman was using vintage photos to cheer up veterans in need, I was totally impressed.
Gina Elise is the creator of Pin-Ups For Vets, a nonprofit organization that provides funding and support for military veterans and those currently deployed abroad.
Harkening back to the days when servicemen would boost morale by hanging pin-up posters in their barracks, Gina assembles servicewomen and military spouses to star in their very own WII styled pin-up calendar. This project celebrates both the strength of our servicewomen and gives them an opportunity to get "glammed up" for a good cause: raising the spirits of other vets.
Scroll through to find how one woman is making a huge difference for the veterans of America.
Would you buy this calendar for the serviceperson in your life? Let us know in the comments!
[H/T: Fox News]
Gina started "Pin-Ups for Vets" in 2006 after being disheartened by the lack of funding for veterans' healthcare programs. As the grandchild of a WWII veteran, Gina had a particularly soft spot in her heart for those in service and wanted to create a project that would pay homage to her beloved grandpa and his fellow veterans.
Gina loved the romance and glamour of that time period: the outfits, the hairstyles, the camp. So she figured a classic pin-up calendar would be the best way to combine the iconic images of 1940s starlets with an upgraded twist: featuring powerful and strong servicewomen.
This year the calendar is celebrating its 10th anniversary, having raised over $50,000 to date!
For the first few years, Gina just posed for the calendar herself. But the current issue features 17 veterans, 12 women and five men, many of whom served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The calendar is then being printed and lovingly shipped to those currently deployed.
Navy veteran and “Pin-Ups for Vets” model Jennifer Marshall was initially hesitant to pose for the calendar. But after learning about how the nonprofit gives back to her military community, she decided to go for it.
“It really hit home when [Gina] told me this raises a lot of money for the troops and for vets, that was a game changer,” Marshall shared with Fox News. “I swallowed my nervousness and got over it. I’m glad I did.”
The organization also visits military hospitals and bases around the globe.
“We do everything from our statewide VA hospital and military tour, where we get dressed up like pin-ups and deliver our calendars at the bedsides of hospitalized veterans around the U.S., to donating thousands of dollars worth of rehab equipment to VA and military hospitals nationwide,” Gina shared with Fox.
"We have also done morale-boosting visits to 23 military bases and we've donated over $52,000 to purchase state-of-the art rehab equipment for VA and Military hospitals across the U.S.," Gina notes.
And the reviews couldn't be more glowing.
According to the organization's site, one therapist from the Los Angeles VA Hospital shared, “Overall the veterans’ quality of life increases and their spirits are so uplifted. I personally can see an improvement in their cognitive, physical, and social functioning. Still to this day, the vets talk about the day when the lovely ladies came to visit, and they absolutely love their calendars which are hung all over their rooms.”
The Chief of Volunteer Services at the Oklahoma Hospital VA writes to Gina and the ladies, “The impact of the time you took to providing a smile, good conversation, and most importantly, the recognition to our valuable veterans is not expressible by mere words. Your visit was simply the best visit I have been a part of since my beginning as Voluntary Services Chief.”
In 2009, Gina was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Los Angeles Business Journal (as part of the newspaper's "Women Making a Difference" award series). And in 2010, Gina was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show for an episode honoring American volunteers.
Eight flags have also been flown in honor of the "Pin-ups For Vets" calendar project on various military bases worldwide.
And as for Gina's dreams for the future? She'd love to bring "Pin-Ups for Vets" to all fifty states as part of a large scale national campaign.
"Pin-Ups for Vets" is an amazing cause that honors both the servicewomen (and men) posing in these vintage-inspired calendars, and the veterans who receive them. To buy one for the military person in your life this Christmas, visit pinupsforvets.com.
Are you as inspired by this project as I am? Let us know in the comments.
Please SHARE if you're the proud member of a military family!
