Ribbons adorn trees, bushes in Mandarin to mark soldiers' departure
She wanted them to feel support, that they won't be forgotten
Not only did she tie a yellow ribbon around an old oak tree, but Melissa Abbink wrapped them around pines, palms, poplars, bushes, mailboxes and landscaping stakes.
Her goal was to put ribbons on 162 trees on Mandarin Road.
Each ribbon was to honor the 162 soldiers in her son's Army unit who are being deployed to Afghanistan for a year. "We wanted to show a small token of our support and let them know they will not be forgotten," she said.
Abbink not only made her goal but far surpassed it. She and her cadre of volunteers wrapped almost 300 trees and other objects.
"People that don't have trees wrapped them around bushes hanging over their fence lines," Abbink said. "And somebody put a whole bunch of flags in their yard."
Most were on scenic Mandarin Road, known for its stately centuries-old, moss-draped oaks. But some were on other streets, said Abbink, who lives off Mandarin.
Abbink said she was pleased with the cooperation she got from the city; residents; churches such as Mandarin Presbyterian, Church of Our Saviour and All Souls Anglican; organizations such as the Italian American Club; and businesses such as Publix, Mandarin Cemetery, Gate, Sherwin-Williams and Angel & Mi, where she is a hairdresser.
The trees were festooned in late April before her son and his unit deployed. Thirty-two left out of Jacksonville. The others came from such states as Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, she said.
For her son's part, Anthony Abbink said he appreciated the community support given to his mother's project. Abbink, who helped his mother tie the ribbons, said he thought they turned out beautifully, and he enjoyed helping her.
Indeed, Abbink, who put up fliers with a special email on them prior to the big day, said she's gotten positive feedback.
"Lots of people stopped as we were hanging the ribbons and wanted to know what it was about," she said. "They said 'thank you for serving' to Anthony. 'Good luck, we're keeping you in our prayers.' There were very few I ran into that said they wouldn't help."
Abbink said she was very pleased with how it turned out, particularly the knack some volunteers had for tying a nifty bow.
Her endeavor was not inexpensive. Abbink bought more than 2,300 yards of ribbon and said she still has a few spools left. She got $170 in donations from clients and her insurance company and chipped in $100 of her own money.
The tradition is to leave the ribbons up until the soldiers return to the United States, she said. If some have to take them down, Abbink said she will understand. But she will contact them when it gets closer to the soldiers' return so they can retie them for a few weeks.
sandy.strickland@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4128