November 8, 2012 Veterans History Project Marks November with "Share Your Thanks & Make it Meaningful" Initiative

Contact: Monica Mohindra (202) 707-1071 | Megan Harris (202) 707-8205

During the month of November, the Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center encourages individuals to participate in the “Make It Meaningful Initiative.” From Veterans Day through Thanksgiving, the nation is asked to embrace traditions of generosity and an appreciation for servicemen and servicewomen, many of who belong to peer and professional communities.

“Each veteran and each story is important. We are pleased to work with organizations that contribute collections to VHP all year and present this campaign to thank the veterans who work among us every day," said Veterans History Project Director Bob Patrick. "It can be as simple as learning more about the service of the veteran in your office through the VHP collections of those who served during the same conflict or as rich as downloading a Field Kit and offering to record their story."

The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) has contributed to the VHP collection since 2003, working with members of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) to collect and transcribe more than 2,500 veterans’ histories. NCRF continues that support by sharing Make It Meaningful Initiative ideas with NCRA’s 19,000 members.

NCRA/NCRF leadership said the range of activities provided by the Library of Congress offers easy but important ways to show we care about those who serve our country. The staff of NCRA and NCRF encourage everyone to find ways to Share Your Thanks and Make It Meaningful this November.

Other organizations joining VHP in the Make it Meaningful Initiative include American Red Cross chapters in Texas and Massachusetts, the Beasley Broadcasting Group, Inc., the VA Center for Minority Veterans, the VA Center for Women Veterans, Virginia Tech University, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Suncoast Community Hospice, the University of Central Florida Community Veterans History Project, the Palos Heights Public Library, the Model Cities Senior Wellness Center, the University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, the Florida State University Reichelt Oral History Program, the Collier County Veterans History Project, the Naples Hilton and Shula’s Steakhouse.

The Library hosts “Take Your Veteran to Work” activities on Friday, Nov. 9, to facilitate and encourage Library staff to record the stories of veterans in their lives.

To receive a copy of Make it Meaningful Initiative activities, email vohp@loc.gov and place "Make it Meaningful" in the subject line.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 151 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.

Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 as a national documentation program of the American Folklife Center (www.loc.gov/folklife/) to collect, preserve and make accessible the first-hand remembrances of American wartime veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The project relies on volunteers to record veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov/vets/. Volunteers may request more information at vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848. Subscribe to VHP’s RSS on the VHP home page.

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PR 12-211
2012-11-08
ISSN 0731-3527