ARMY VETERAN'S IDEA BECOMES HIS PASSION
Cards convey many thanks to those now in harm's way
Matthew Hunt hopes his A Rose of Thanks idea brightens war-torn days
LUKAS JOHNSON

Late last year, 41-year-old Army veteran Matthew Hunt was robbed twice at gunpoint while delivering pizza in University City. The second time was the day after Christmas.

The robberies made Hunt feel as if he were going down the wrong path, he said.

On New Year's Eve, Hunt went to church to reflect on his past year and how to make a difference in the year to come.

"Then it came to me," he said. "I had an epiphany." It brought him to tears.

His vision turned out to be A Rose of Thanks, a military greeting card project. His personal effort: Send a thank-you card to every U.S. military service member in the Middle East.

"I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to do it," Hunt said. "I just turned it into my passion."

His original idea was to send a rose and a Valentine's Day card to each troop overseas. But that would have cost more than he could afford; he funds the project with the tips he gets from delivering pizza.

So he settled on a greeting card that featured a black-and-white rose that the sender can color and personalize. He had more than 300 of the cards printed and got students from Dole Elementary School in Rowan County to color them.

He sent those cards to N.C. National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's about getting thanks to soldiers who are defending the freedoms we enjoy every day," Hunt said.

Since then, area students and organizations have personalized and sent out about 750 of the cards Hunt has provided.

He also printed out 1,500 cards for people to personalize during the start of the Great American Race on Saturday in downtown Concord.

Nearing its six-month mark, the one-man effort is gaining momentum.

"It's starting to come together and look like a real organization," said Hunt, who is applying for nonprofit status.

The black-and-white card has an outline of a rose on the cover that can be colored. The inside of the card reads: "Thinking of you, wishing you a safe and speedy return home. Thank you for defending the US and us!"

Hunt most recently partnered with the The Arts Experience's summer performing and visual arts day camp last month at Cannon School in Concord. The camp's 130 young participants helped personalize about 200 cards; Hunt sent them to Marines from Camp Lejeune.

"This project will help them learn the importance of giving back," said Quincy Foil, president of The Arts Experience, based in Concord. "Doing something little like this can make a world of difference."

Want to Send Thanks?

Here's how you can help send A Rose of Thanks cards to U.S. military service people:

Donate: Write checks to A Rose of Thanks and send them to A Rose of Thanks, c/o Bank of America, 8551 U.S. 29 N., Charlotte, NC 28262.

A Rose of Thanks Web sites: www.aroseofthanks.com; www.myspace.com/aroseofthanks; matthew@aroseofthanks.com.

Web sites of similar projects: www.americasupportsyou.mil; www.amillionthanks.org; www.anysoldier.com; www.uso.org.