Forest Park residents can write holiday cards for Illinois veterans at the fourth annual Operation Rising Spirits event on Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Howard Mohr Community Center.
The free event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the community center, 7640 Jackson Blvd. Pizza, soft drinks and all card-writing supplies are provided. All ages are welcome. Residents who want to submit artwork for the cards have until Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The 2026 event brings a first: the cards will feature artwork created by Forest Park artists. The Historical Society of Forest Park ran a card design competition with a $50 prize in each of three age groups: K–8, high school and adults. Winning designs will be printed on the holiday cards sent to veterans in long-term care through the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Submissions must be original 5-by-7 designs. No AI-generated artwork is permitted.
The state department launched Operation Rising Spirits in 2020 to deliver holiday cards to veterans in its five long-term care homes across Illinois, which house more than 1,000 veterans, according to Forest Park Review coverage ahead of the November 2025 event.
Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin first pitched Forest Park's participation to the Historical Society. She organizes the event alongside the Historical Society and the Forest Park Arts Alliance.
"I wanted to have an opportunity to recognize our veterans locally," Melin-Rogovin told the Forest Park Review in November 2025, ahead of the third annual event. "I saw it as a wonderful service project."
The effort has grown quickly. In 2024, Forest Parkers wrote 795 cards, which the Review reported made up more than half of all cards submitted statewide that year.
Alexis Ellers, executive director of the Historical Society of Forest Park, said in a November 2025 statement to the Review that the program reminds veterans "they are seen, valued and remembered during a season that can be difficult for many."
Residents can register through the Eventbrite listing for the Dec. 3 event at Howard Mohr Community Center.
