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Ithaca artist Patrick J. O'Connor, has founded a unique and heartfelt project aimed at giving back to our military. O'Connor is hand painting cards featuring icons and landscapes from any city in the United States. His project is called 'Cards From Home' and these cards can be used for any occasion, but imagine the joy when you send one to loved ones in the military who are stationed overseas and are missing home. A percentage of the proceeds from the sales of the cards will go to the Navy Seal Foundation, which provides immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare Community and its families.

For both Patrick O'Connor and his wife, Mary, this cause hits home. Their son is currently serving overseas and they wanted a way to not only give back to the silent warriors who are protecting our country but to also give them a piece of their home; the end result being "Cards From Home."  A portion of the proceeds go to the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Mary explains how it began: "My son, who asks for nothing and requires even less, did request that I send him notecards more frequently. I jumped on that and sent him Patrick's hand painted landscape notecards writing a carefully constructed note letting him know how fiercely we love him and are proud of him."

O'Connor opened his own gallery, 60 East Gallery, this past November in Corning, NY where he started creating these hand painted cards for this great cause.  At the gallery O'Connor met an artist whose husband served in the military. While her husband was deployed he asked for mail from home and never received any.  He is retired now and suffers from PTSD and still reflects on how that affected him.  Support from home makes a difference to the troops.  Sometimes, it's all they look forward to.

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