Wrapping for america’s warriors | va birmingham health care | veterans affairs

Cherokee Bend Elementary School (CBES) students, teachers, and school leaders were excited to participate in their second annual ‘Wrapping for America's Warriors’ project. Dr. Sandy

Ritchey, CBES Principal, embraced the service project last year and is proud of the school’s commitment to spread holiday cheer to our nation’s Veterans once again.  Students from CBES have

chosen to show their appreciation for the service in which Veterans have rendered by giving back to them during this holiday season.   This year, the sixth-grade students at CBES hosted a

donation drive and asked students to bring in new coats, toboggans, scarves, gloves, and socks for the Veterans. After receiving the donations, the fifth-grade students took great pride in 

wrapping each gift. The students collected and wrapped more than 100 gifts for our local Veterans.  CBES collected enough items to provide every inpatient Veteran at the Birmingham VA Health

Care System a present for the holiday season. These gifts were presented to the BVAHCS Voluntary Service on Friday, December 17, 2021. BVAHCS Volunteer Service collected the gifts with a

“cookies for coats” exchange and shared with the students how the gifts will be meaningful to the Veterans. "We believe it is important for students to serve our Veterans... our

nation's real heroes... the ones who freely served our country in order for us to experience the freedom and pride that come along with being an American," said Carla Dudley, CBES

Assistant Principal. As the tradition continues with CBES, the partnership began at Brookwood Forest Elementary School four years ago.