The UA Crossroads Community Center created three large, poster-sized cards to be presented to patients at the Tuscaloosa Veteran's Hospital to commemorate Veterans Day.
Students, faculty and staff were encouraged to sign the posters or write a brief message to the veterans. The posters were on display in the Ferguson Center lobby Monday and Tuesday.
The idea was to remind the UA community what veterans have given for the country and to remember them on Veterans Day, said Beverly Hawk, director of the UA Crossroads Community Center.
She also said the cards were meant to show the veterans that UA students and faculty members are grateful for all they have sacrificed.
"We wanted to show the veterans that we care. There are 350 patients in the [Veterans Affairs] hospital, and this is for each of them," Hawk said.
Hawk said the original plan was to give each patient one card, but the idea developed into a large card from the UA community. As more and more students signed, Hawk said the card became not one poster, but three.
Besides just showing appreciation, Hawk said the card signing was meant to provide people with an opportunity to reflect on veterans and their contributions.
Kelsea Schuhmann, a freshman majoring in business, said she signed the card because of her personal ties to the military. Her cousin is in the Navy and is currently serving in Iraq.
"I feel like sometimes these soldiers don't get enough 'thank you'. It really means a lot to the veterans to see how many of the college age people care," Schuhmann said.
Bethany Andrews, a freshman majoring in telecommunication and film, said she was signing the card because she thought it was a good idea.
"I know that if I had fought for my country, I would want to know that people care. This is a really awesome way to show that," Andrews said.
Elliot Moon, a sophomore majoring in theatre, said the card stresses the importance or remembering our veterans and all they have done for U.S. citizens.
"We have to let them know that we appreciate them, and that we respect what they've done, and that we acknowledge their efforts," Moon said.
One goal of the Veterans Day card signing was to involve the UA community in the world around it, Hawk said.
"This whole effort is all about bringing us together as a community," Hawk said. "Here at Crossroads, that's what we do, we build communities."
As part of the community effort, the posters, first presented at a dinner on Sunday, and then brought back to campus to gather more signatures, will hang in the Tuscaloosa Veteran's Hospital, Hawk said.
Peyton Blankenship, a senior majoring in theater, said she supported the community outreach and that a card was just one way to show American heroes how much they are valued.
"If someone we don't even know is willing to risk his life for us, then the least we can do is say thanks. The least we can do is to remember them," Blankenship said.
The University's card was officially presented to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
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