Giving Back to Those Who Give the Most: Veterans Day and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon

This Veterans Day, and as the holiday season approaches, we thank our veterans, service members and their families for all they’ve given. One of the ways Kraus-Anderson has recognized our veterans has been partnering with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon for nearing a decade. BTYR helps connect Minnesota’s military members, veterans and families with community and corporate support.

KA’s Jason Rentmeester is a military veteran with two deployments to Iraq. He has been involved with the Hugo, MN chapter of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon for years, including welcome-home pheasant hunts for returning service members. It wasn’t until Kari Aufrere brought BTYR’s Secret Santa program to his attention, however, that supporting the organization became a holiday tradition.

“I have a strong military family, 90% of my family is military,” Aufrere said of her inspiration for promoting the Secret Santa program. “And I love Christmas.”

Through the Secret Santa program, volunteers adopt military or veteran families in difficult medical, financial, familial or other situations and shop for gifts from their wish lists. Service members are nominated by their unit for the program, and Aufrere shared that up to $2,000 has been raised for these families in past year’s donation drives.

 

“It’s a good feeling. You’re turning what might not have been much of a Christmas into something pretty phenomenal,” Rentmeester said. “I think veterans are a big deal. I think a lot of people feel they should be celebrated, or at least respected. It’s a good feeling to give back to them.”

“It’s a chance to say thank you to those who sacrifice a lot for us in the states that we take for granted every day,” Aufrere added.