By Oona Hirvonen
hirvo@mail.broward.edu
November 11th is a day for reflection, gratitude, and remembering those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent network is the largest humanitarian network in the world, with a presence and activities in almost every country. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a global humanitarian network that helps people in times of conflict, disaster, and other emergencies. The movement includes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Its services include providing relief after disasters, supporting military families, collecting blood, and offering health and safety training. The Red Cross Club at College Academy at Broward College wished to amplify this goal in a rather meaningful manner by producing an exceptional tribute video thanking veterans around the United States.
The club’s co-presidents, Rachel and Ashlyn, pondered how the club could truly make an impact outside of school. During the first general meeting, they introduced the idea of creating the gratitude video to the club members. They also explained how they would execute this project, mentioning how board members would be stationed around campus so members could conveniently record their message. This facilitated members’ participation. Rachel Jandayan expressed the motivation behind this project, saying, “Our goal was to reach out and connect with veterans who might not always get recognition. Sending the video to ten veterans’ homes was our way of sharing appreciation beyond just our school.”
After that initial meeting, they fully launched the project; filming students, teachers and counselors expressing appreciation for their service. Each one illustrated their gratitude through kind messages to the veterans. Once the filming was complete, all the clips were seamlessly combined into one coherent video. The video utilized visuals and background music to tie the visuals and emotion together. Afterwards, the Red Cross focused on sharing this video with as many veteran homes as possible. Impressively, the wonderful video got sent to over ten veterans’ homes, enabling caretakers to share it with the residents. Various homes replied in gratitude, highlighting the joy on the veteran’s faces when they received the heartfelt messages. The video acted as a reminder to the veterans that their services do not go unnoticed, sprinkling joy and appreciation into their day.
Many students who took part in this experience articulated how touching it was. Sabrina Lopez, a junior in College Academy, shared, “Creating the Veterans video with Red Cross was a great experience as I knew that my efforts were going towards veterans that needed it the most, and it was a wonderful excuse to interact with my peers as well as bring the student body closer.” There are times like this where projects not only brighten someone’s day but also bring together a community as students work together to share a sincere message.
The Veterans Day tribute video created by the Red Cross Club at College Academy stands as a testament to the power of compassion, collaboration, and community. The idea born from gratitude bloomed into a carefully planned initiative full of heartfelt gratitude with the aim to uplift those who have served our nation. It is a reminder that a little act of kindness can not only unite the student body, but brighten someone’s day, which is ultimately invaluable.