I’m Navaneeta Minnamareddy, but you can call me Navi! I’m a student participant in the Salute to Service program through the Florida Debate Initiative (FDI), which pairs students across the state with veteran mentors to build projects that honor those who’ve served.
Alongside my mentor, Charles Robinson, a veteran himself, I set out to create something rooted in the real, lived experiences of veterans and active-duty service members. Not just their titles or ranks, but the moments and values that shaped who they are. Partnering with World Values Day, we conducted interviews and collected the stories they were willing to share: memories of selflessness, perseverance, integrity, gratitude, resilience, and more.
From those conversations, this card series was born. Each card holds a specific memory or experience from a veteran or active duty member’s service, paired with a small act of service for those who receive a card to carry out within 24 hours of receiving it. It could be as simple as a gesture of encouragement, a helping hand, or an intentional act that reflects the same values these individuals lived by in uniform.
Our hope is simple: that these stories don’t stay in the past, but move forward through the people who read them: one story, one value, and one service at a time.
Here is an example showing both sides of one of the cards:
With the full support of my school, I will be distributing the first 10 cards on Veterans Day, November 11, to my fellow school students with a program of activities to encourage discussion around the topic. After doing the small act of service inspired by the card they will give their feedback by scanning the QR code, before passing the card on to another student. That student will then do the same.
Our aim is to expand this project to other schools elsewhere in Florida and hopefully to other states over the next year, so that by World Values Day and Veterans Day 2027 the veterans’ stories will have reached thousands of students through these cards, inspiring them to put their values into action in their schools and wider communities through thousands of simple acts of service.
See the full set of veteran cards here.
If you would like to find out how you can help this project to expand, contact info@worldvaluesday.com
