•The American Red Cross of Ventura County is participating in the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign, which runs through Dec. 7. The chapter will distribute about 4,000 holiday cards to members of the military near and far.

More than 8,000 active duty personnel are at Naval Base Ventura County and more than 1,000 guard members report to Channel Islands Guard Base and the armory in Ventura. Other distribution points will include chapters of Veterans of Foreign War, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans.

The community can participate in the program by sending holiday cards for distribution to: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456.

All cards must be postmarked by Dec. 7. For restrictions and guidelines, go to www.arcventura .org.

•Citizens who would like to send a Christmas card to a recovering soldier may send cards to this address:

A Recovering American Soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20307-5001.