A Valentine From Afar: Solon Woman Organizes Gifts For U.S. Soldiers

Thanks to Sue Wilson, more than 100 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan will know that someone is thinking about them on Valentine's Day.

Wilson, a Solon resident, is a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic. She and her colleagues helped organize a donation drive to collect items for about 120 soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Also aiding the cause were some kindergarten and first-grade students at in Solon. They made valentines to put into each care package.

Wilson said she wanted to do something this year to help the military personnel serving the country.

"I just have the utmost respect for them, and am very grateful," Wilson said.

Wilson said her daughter is in the national guard, and Wilson was able to get a list of 120 soliders, both men and women, who don't get many packages or don't have families back home.

So Wilson and the other nurses in her unit collected goods that are in high demand overseas and raised money, through a bake sale and other events, to put together the care packages. The students at Creative Playrooms also were able to make lots of valentines in short order.

"When you tell kids that the valentines are for someone special, they just crank them out," she said.

Wilson thanks the kids at Creative Playrooms and her nursing colleagues for their work to make the drive so successful. When Wilson took the 120 packages to the Akron/Canton USO, she said the people there were floored by the size of the donation.

Wilson, who also celebrates her birthday on Valentine's Day, said the holiday has always been special to her.

"I think it's a great time to be really nice to everybody," Wilson said.