8-Spoked Salute

Many local sports organizations make an effort to honor our nation's military. On the 4th of July, the Red Sox surprised a sailor's family by flying her in from the ship she was stationed on; the Patriots and Celtics both salute members of the armed forces at games, as well as through team-sponsored fundraisers; but for me, the world-champion Boston Bruins have done more than any of these teams combined.

The Boston Bruins and Mass State Lottery teamed up to honor our nation's heroes in a program they call "The 8-Spoked Salute to the Troops." Upon hearing of this fantastic opportunity in December of last year, I did some more research. All you had to do to nominate a service member was to submit a 500-word or less essay and a picture to the Bruins online. If chosen, the Bruins provide 4 tickets to a home game along with free merchandise, and the selected military member is introduced on the jumbotron.

At the time, my boyfriend- the biggest Bruins fan I know- was serving with the United States Marine Corps in Marjah, Afghanistan. When I saw what I had to do, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and submitted a picture and essay to nominate my boyfriend. Well, he was chosen! I received a call about 2 weeks after he came home in January, and he was honored at a game in early February. It was an incredible experience, and I know that neither of us will ever forget it. Below is a video from the game...enjoy!

Wear Your Support

This past week, I created a t-shirt which aimed to gain support for our troops. I made the shirt and design on Zazzle.com, a website I had never heard of nor used before. I would most certainly use it again though!

It was fantastic; the site was easy to use, and the t-shirt came out better than I could have hoped for. I have attached pictures of the final product, so that you can see for yourselves. I saw that the site also offers the option for users to create an online store full of their designs, which I thought was very interesting. Who knows, maybe I'll create a store with all different "Support Our Troops" designs!

In addition, I'll also include a link to another blog in which I explain my design. Let me know what you think!

Positive Images

There are plenty of images online that depict positive support for the troops. Some are simple; some are more creative. No matter what is presented in the picture, the message is clear. Here are a few of my favorites: