Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) was pleased to partner with students from the Mineola and Carle Place school districts for his annual Heart for Heroes campaign in honor of Memorial Day. The campaign asked students to write letters thanking active and retired members of the military for their service. Over 500 letters were collected to be included in care packages distributed by Operation Gratitude to U.S. Service Members deployed overseas. Operation Gratitude’s mission is to lift the spirts and morale of our military and first responder communities.

“Everyday members of the military risk their lives and give up time with their loved ones to protect us,” said Ra. “I hope these letters of gratitude and appreciation will bring smiles to their faces. It is uplifting to see so many children and young adults eager to thank the dedicated and hard-working men and women of our military. Operation Gratitude is a wonderful program, which has already sent over 2 million care packages to currently-deployed members of our military, new recruits, veterans and first responders. I am so happy our community was able to come together with this organization for such a positive campaign. I look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.”