The Snowball Express Program For Families Of Fallen Soldiers Is Coming To Fort Worth - Sundance Square Plaza Event Is On
December 11,2013
A message from Mayor Betsy Price, as posted on www.fortworthtexas.gov
A chance to ‘Express’ our gratitude to the family of fallen military heroes
Posted Nov. 29, 2013
The holiday season gives us time to reflect on the importance of our families, but it also serves as a time to remember those we have lost. For many, an empty chair at the Christmas table is a seat forever reserved for someone who paid the ultimate sacrifice for you and me.
Recently, we paused as a nation to honor our military heroes on Veterans Day. We stopped to thank the men and women who protect our freedoms and way of life. We recognized them for their service and remembered the brave souls who have given their lives for our freedom.
Those fallen heroes were someone’s sons, daughters — in many cases, someone’s husband or wife, or a child’s mom or dad. Celebrating the holidays is hard for those families who are missing loved ones lost in wars around the globe.
In Fort Worth, we’re going to try to make that chair feel a little less empty.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, we’ll have the opportunity to thank these heroes and their families through the Snowball Express program. We’ll honor the lives of fallen military men and women by welcoming to Fort Worth nearly 2,000 children and spouses whose family members were killed in action.
Beginning at 9 a.m., these families will unload from 42 buses at the Tarrant County Courthouse in Downtown Fort Worth, 100 W. Weatherford St. At 10 a.m. The families — many with small children — will begin a “Walk of Gratitude” headed south down Main Street toward the Sundance Square Plaza.
Once the families arrive in Sundance Square Plaza, they will enjoy fun and entertainment.
I’m encouraging everyone to begin lining the sidewalks along Main Street at 9:30 a.m. to show their support for these military families. You can also wave at the buses as they travel into Downtown Fort Worth from Dallas along I-30. The buses will leave from Dallas at 8:30 a.m. and should begin passing through Fort Worth along I-30 around 8:50 a.m. Be sure to be safe and always stay on sidewalks and off of bridges while acknowledging the buses.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 8,000 children younger than 18 years old have had a parent killed during military service. The Snowball Express was created to help these children and surviving family members cope with that loss and be reminded that they are not alone and their loved one’s sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Let’s make these families’ holidays memorable together.
To learn more about the organization and how you can support its efforts, visit the Snowball Express website.
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Betsy Price, a Fort Worth native, was elected as the 44th mayor of the City of Fort Worth June 18, 2011. A successful business owner and lifelong public servant, Price uses this forum to ensure transparency and inform residents of issues and programs that affect their daily lives.