The TallGrass team packs boxes for soldiers.The TallGrass team packs boxes for soldiers.
In the Great Room at TallGrass Aveda Spa and Salon, in Evergreen, Colorado, spa guests will 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 items that are gently packed into care packages that TallGrass staffers call “Soldier Boxes.” Filled with donations of personal care items, full- and travel-size toiletries, sanitary supplies, playing cards, paperback books and seasonal gifts such as warm socks and cooling neck wraps, the Afghanistan Soldier Box Project connects the spa’s community with U.S. troops in harms way.
“The response we get from the soldiers touches our hearts,” says TallGrass owner Gail Ridings. “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-size items at cost to donate to the project. Cash gifts from guests help cover the cost of sending the flat-rate postal boxes to Afghanistan.
To support a holiday shipment of care packages on November 19, TallGrass just announced a “Support Our Soldiers” promotion to help build further awareness of its campaign to support U.S. troops and help cover the spa’s expenses. From now through November 8, a portion of the proceeds from three designated spa services—SOS Aromatherapy Massages, SOS Aromatherapy Facials and SOS Regular Pedicures—will be allocated to underwrite the Solider Box Project.
TallGrass Aveda Spa and Salon is situated in a peaceful mountain meadow along Upper Bear Creek in Evergreen, just 45 minutes from downtown Denver. In addition to the Soldier Box Project, TallGrass’ philanthropy programs support environmental causes, hospice care, breast cancer awareness, homeless women and their children, animal welfare and social services.
