R.E.D. Friday

Military Appreciation Month

The United States Military is a vital part of our countries defense and the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces sacrifice on a daily basis with their time, health and many times their lives. Military families, wives, children and parents worry about their safety at home and abroad. It is a duty often overlooked, but one business is going the extra step and making sure their military employees and customers are recognized and honored.

Jefferson Bank decided to use RED Friday on May 6th, the official Military Spouse Appreciation day, to kick off Military Appreciation Month.

I learned about this story when I received an email from the bank Vice President who wanted to purchase a very large order of buttons. Naturally I was curious, being a Marine Mom I designed this button with the hope that it would inspire people to wear it on Fridays and show their support of the military. I have had a son deployed in the USMC to Afghanistan and will most likely have another, since I have three Marines. When I found out more I just had to write about it and share.

RED Friday Button to Remember Everyone Deployed

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The R.E.D. Friday buttons are a reminder to Remember Everyone Deployed and has become a national movement in the military community.

How Jefferson Bank Supports the Military

I found out that an employee, who is a military spouse, first brought RED Friday to the attention of her fellow employees. They wore RED shirts to Friday softball games and it became a tradition. The bank is located in an area with a strong military presence and several employees are either military, military spouses, veterans, or have family serving in the military.

But the bank wanted to do more, so the buttons were one step. There are many activities planned for the month, but one of the things they did was purchase RED Friday buttons for all of their employees and provide to their customers. Each Friday in May they will pay tribute to the individual employees who will tell their military story. Please, if you are in the area come into one of their branches, pick up a button and tell them thank you for their support.

Jefferson Bank, has eleven locations in the Houston area and is an independent, family owned bank going back three generations. How often do you hear of a family owned bank anymore. They sincerely care about not only their employees, but their customers, and it shows by their Facebook page.

It is nice to see a company adopting RED Friday of recognizing our soldiers, Marines, sailors and airman and I hope the trend continues throughout the year. I salute Jefferson Bank on this initiative and hope it becomes an annual tradition. I also challenge other businesses to show your support of the military, not only during Military Appreciation Month, but all year.

All it takes is a little button. Imagine if your waitress, or flight attendant on Southwest Airlines wore a simple RED Button and it started a conversation, a dialogue, and an appreciation of our military families nationwide?

Send your friends to the Jefferson Bank Facebook page and tell them thank you. Spread the news and let’s show everyone we love, honor, respect, and support our troops.

Origins of RED Friday

It is said that R.E.D Friday started in 2006 by two wives of Canadian servicemen as a way of showing solidarity to our troops deployed in Afghanistan. But many military wives have been wearing RED shirts for many years before the “movement” was announced. RED also in remembrance of the American Legion Red Poppy Campaign.

It is a small way to let military families know we are thinking of them and salute their service to our country. Although it is mainly a red shirt tradition people who have company dress codes choose to wear ribbons or buttons.  If you would like to be a part of the RED Friday movement I have several shirts, buttons and items in my Zazzle Store. Let’s spread the word and get more companies on board.

Ask Me Why I Wear Red ShirtWear Red on Friday T-shirtRed Friday NecklaceWear RED on Friday ButtonRED Friday Patriotic Flag T-shirt

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Learn More About R.E.D. Friday