Dear Siler Secret Pal:

Thank you very much for being a Secret Pal to our military and college students. I'm sure you will enjoy being a part of your student's life, and they will appreciate your remembering them during the year.

Enclosed is the Student Information Sheet that the student has completed. If additional information comes in, I will forward it to you.

It would be especially nice to remember your student with a card on the following special dates:

Their Birthday Christmas Easter

Start of School Valentine's Day Graduation or End of School Year

Halloween St. Patrick's Day During Winter and Spring Exams

Thanksgiving

There are special cards available for Secret Pals on these occasions.

Other suggestions are as follows: 'Thinking of you' cards

  • Send post cards, plain or picture, with a special note
  • Send the church bulletin. (Students are on the mailing list for the newsletter.)
  • Clip items from the local papers regarding their former high school, our church, or other newsworthy articles.
  • Share a scripture passage or poem with your student.
  • Send devotional material such as small booklets or bookmarks.
  • Get a "care package" of homemade goodies or snack foods to them by way of a friend, their parents, or the church.
  • Pray for your student/service personnel (*)

Another suggestion is to give them gift cards to particular grocery stores, department stores, and fast food restaurants that they frequent.

Remember that you should not let your student know your name. You can sign your cards "Siler Secret Pal" and use the church as the return address. At the end of the school year, you will be able to identifY yourself to your student.

Also, you may want to let the parents of your student know that you are the Secret Pal for their child but ask them not to reveal your name.

Please do not become discouraged if you do not hear from your college student. Some of them are better about writing and thanking their Secret Pals than others. Some will never write. Workshop leaders have stated that the students may not realize how much it means to them now, but in the future, they will look back and say "my church did this for me while I was in college".

Thank you again for offering to be a Siler Secret Pal. It is a very important ministry in which you've chosen to participate. Please call me if you have questions/suggestions about the program.

(*) If you have "adopted" a service or military person, PAY CLOSE ATTENTION AS TO WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T HAVE in mailings.

Michelle Ingram