(Pittsburgh) Nov. 9, 2012   Mayor Luke Ravenstahl today reminded residents to attend tomorrow's Veterans Day parade, after visitng  with local veterans at the Veterans Affairs University Drive Campus Hospital in Oakland. The Mayor brought thank you cards to the Veterans, which have been collected over the last week as a special Veterans Day project through his servePGH initiative. In total, 500 thank you cards signed by City employees and residents will be delivered to the veterans at two VA hospitals and one domiciliary located in the City.

"Visiting with local veterans today was definitely the highlight of my day," Ravenstahl said. "What's amazing to me is that for how much our veterans have sacrificed for our country, they expect nothing in return and are always so thankful. The least that we can do is thank them for their sacrifice. A great way to thank them is to attend tomorrow's Veterans Day parade."

This past April, the Mayor had the opportunity to attend the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC 83), a program sponsored by the Secretary of Defense that aims to increase the public's understanding of national defense. While in attendance, he had the chance to speak with some of our country’s current service members and learn about their daily lives. In his online journal about this experience, the Mayor wrote “The members of our military are special in every way.  If you know an active duty member or a veteran, take some time during your busy day to tell them thanks.  It will go a long way.” Now, as Veterans Day approaches, Mayor Ravenstahl again remembers the sacrifices our country’s military makes, and has always made.

The Mayor put out a special call to City Departments last week, asking them to make a difference in the lives of veterans by writing a thank you card. All of the cards handed out to the eight different City departments were returned with notes of thanks and signatures. Cards were also signed this morning at a Citywide AmeriCorps event, with over 150 AmeriCorps members in attendance. Additionally, thank you cards were available in the City-County lobby earlier this week to be signed by the general public.

The remainder will be handed out to veterans with their breakfast trays on Veterans Day, November 11^th.

Read more about Mayor Ravenstahl’s servePGH initiative’s work with veterans in his November newsletter.