In the Great Room at TallGrass Aveda Spa and Salon (Evergreen, CO), spa guests can find stacks of 1,000 Christmas cards that they can use to write holiday messages to soldiers in Afghanistan. The cards are just one of the thoughtful gifts that are gently packed into care packages called “Soldier Boxes” by the TallGrass staffers. Filled with donations of personal care items, full- and travel-sized toiletries, sanitary supplies, playing cards, paperback books, and seasonal, items such as warm socks or cooling neck wraps, the Afghanistan Soldier Box Project connects the spa’s community with troops in harms way. “The response we get from the soldiers touches our hearts,” says Gail Ridings, owner of TallGrass. “We treasure every single thank you letter and it is impossible to read them aloud at staff meetings without choking up.”
The Soldier Box Project was initiated three years ago by TallGrass nail technician Deb Dickinson who finds soldier contacts at www.anysoldier.com and leads the effort to collect the most requested items and coordinate packing and shipping. In the spa’s retail department, guests can purchase Aveda travel-sized items at cost to donate to the project. And, gifts of cash from guests help cover the cost of sending the flat rate postal boxes to Afghanistan. Timed to support a holiday shipment of care packages on Nov. 19, TallGrass announced a Support Our Soldiers promotion that brings awareness to its campaign to support our troops and help cover expenses. From now through Nov. 8, when spa guests specifically ask for SOS Aromatherapy Massages, SOS Aromatherapy Facials, or SOS Regular Pedicures, a portion of the proceeds from those three designated services will be allocated to underwrite the Solider Box Project.