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MarineParents.com Newsletter
a Place to Connect & Share 
In This Issue
Please Visit Our Sponsors
"A Few Good Parents"
Give A Day - Get A Disney Day
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Marine Calendars for 2010
$5 Off CafePress Coupon!
Learning Center:
Operational Security
Operational Security

NOTE: When communicating online, your Marine's privacy is as important as Operational Security. Please respect YOUR Marine's privacy!

Unit Chat Nights
Unit Chat Night Schedule:
 
Monday: 1/3
Wednesday: 2/1, 3/4
Thursday: 1/5, 1/6
 
For additional information about the Chat Room and Unit Chat Nights for your Marine's Unit, please see:
           MarineParents.com Chat Gif 
Local Support Groups in Your Area
 
For a list of all support groups in our database or to find one in your area, see:
 
If you are interested in starting a local support group in your area, please visit the "Support Groups" section of our website:
Support Our Marines!
 
 
Purple Heart Hero Support™ an Outreach Program of Marine Parents.com
 
 
Show your support of our Marines and their families!Participate in one of the Marine Parents Outreach Programs today! Our Marines need YOU!
Visit Our Sponsors
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December 30, 2009
Dear Marine Families,
 
If this is the first edition of the MarineParents.com Newsletter you have received, WELCOME! If you are a returning reader we are glad you have joined us.
 
This is a short version of our regular newsletter. We wanted to share a couple important announcements that are time sensitive.
 
The first is about a project the Marine Corps is asking for help with.  Their marketing firm, JWT, has asked for assistance from Marine parents in the past and they need our help again. Please read the article below, "Looking for A Few Good Parents" for more information.
 
The second announcement is about the Walt Disney "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program for volunteers.  Marine Parents will be participating in the program as a way to say thanks to our volunteers. Whether you are a volunteer on the message boards or in an outreach program, you can qualify.  Disney will be giving these away in limited numbers, so you need to sign up on January 1 this year. Details follow in the article below.
 
Proud Parent of a Marine Lapel PinThird, we've got the lapel pin you've been waiting for! It features the Marine Corps insignia and the text "Proud Parent of a Marine".  It's only $3.95 with discounts for buying in quanity. At The EGA Store, shipping is free and the proceeds go to support the outreach programs of Marine Parents. Click here to order yours.

And we saved the best for last: there is a great little video at the bottom of this email of Marines wishing their families a Merry Christmas. Be sure to check it out!
 
We hope your holidays were filled with family, friends, and hopefully a phone call or card from your Marine. We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Looking for "A Few Good Parents"
Share Your Story with the Marine Corps 
 
Looking for "A Few Good Parents"The Marine Corps is looking for "A Few Good Parents" to tell the story of those young men and women who have made the decision to serve our Nation by becoming United States Marines, and the parents and mentors who have guided and supported them along the way.
 
The Marine Corps, in partnership with JWT, their advertising agency for over 60 years, is redesigning Parents.marines.com, which will entail a new focus on both parents and other mentors of Marines, as well as some exciting new content and video capabilities.
 
Your sons and daughters have faithfully and selflessly served at the highest level. You, as parents, have served with them. In order to make these videos engaging, we're looking for parents of current and former Marines to share their story.
 
If you would be comfortable speaking on camera, are available during the months of February and March 2010, and are a proud parent of a Marine, contact JWT today.
 
Give A Day - Get A Disney Day
Free one-day Admission for Volunteers 
 
Give A Day - Get A Disney Day Opportunity for Marine Parents VolunteersDisney is set to celebrate the good work of volunteers in the New Year.

The Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program wants to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service in 2010.
 
In return, volunteers will receive one-day admission to a theme park at DisneylandŽ Resort or Walt Disney WorldŽ Resort, FREE!

Marine Parents is a participating organization in the Give A Day. Get A Disney Day. program and we want our volunteers to be the first to sign up!

Volunteer registration for the program will open January 1. Register early and take full advantage of this opportunity.
'Twas the Night Before Christmas 
Marines Perform a Special Reading
 
'Twas the Night Before Christmas: Marines Perform a Special ReadingMarines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit recognize how tough it is for families to be apart this time of year.
 
At the same time, they express the importance of the sacrifices Marines and their families make to protect the freedoms we love and enjoy.

While aboard the USS Iwo Jima in the Arabian Gulf, the Marines performed a special reading of a classic holiday poem: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Watch the video today and enjoy "Holiday Greetings" from the 26th MEU.  
 
Marine Calendars for 2010!
Put Your Pride on Display... All Year 

Marine Calendars for 2010!

Show your pride and support throughout the year with your Marine calendar. Each month displays the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, an amazing Marine Corps photo, and a caption describing the content of the image.
 
Support Our Troops: Wear Red on Friday
Wear Red on Friday
 
Join the "Wear Red Friday" campaign to show your support of our troops!  We've opened up a brand new line in our online store--you get the quality and service you've come to expect, and you can help encourage those in your community to "Support Our Troops: Wear Red on Friday!"  We've got yard signs and red t-shirts for every family member and everyone in your office! Check it out today:
 
 
 
We've added a new design. Red shirts with white letters on the front:
"Red Friday...it's a military thing"
 
Remember, all proceeds from sale of products in our stores go to support the organization MarineParents.com, Inc. and our outreach projects. MarineParents.com is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) Public Charity.

We hope this week's edition of our email newsletter has been useful for you and your family. If there are topics you would like us to address, or if you have other suggestions for the newsletter, please contact us.

The banner used at the top of this newsletter is a December, 2009 USMC Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dunn of Sailors and Marines aboard USS Cleveland unloading mail delivered by helicopter in time for the holidays. Click here to read additional credits. 
 
MarineParents.com, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity. MarineParents.com, Inc. was founded in January, 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to have a Place to Connect & Share™ with one another during deployments. Our free online services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms & dads, spouses, families and friends and we'll be offering our 6th Conference in New Orleans in April, 2010. We've helped over 40,000 Marine and recruit families during bootcamp, training, active duty and deployments. We've shipped thousands of care packages overseas to our Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, sent thousands of prayers and letters to injured Marines and served hundreds of lunches to families caring for their Marines at Bethesda Hospital. You've found a Place to Connect & Share™. 
God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
 

Tracy Della Vecchia
Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.
 
Neither the United States Marine Corps nor any other component of the Department of Defense has approved, endorsed, or authorized this service.
Cammo Marines
 $5 Off 
Coupon!
Receive $5 off any order of $75 or more. Enter coupon code FCPMAR1
 
Offer good through February 28, 2010. 
 
At Marine Parents CafePress Stores! 
 
NOTE: All proceeds are used in support of MarineParents.com, Inc., an IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity.

Thank You for supporting Marines and their families by shopping Marine Parents.