DECEMBER 22, 2021 – This December 18, the Connecticut National Guard along with Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, former Governor Rell, and former Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, celebrated the 20th anniversary of Operation ELF, or Embracing Lonely Families, at the state armory for the families of currently deployed service members.
Operation ELF is a Lieutenant Governor’s program, administered by the Connecticut National Guard Foundation which features three distinct parts:
- ELF Party for families of those currently deployed
- Adopt-a-Family
- Gift card drive
The party once again provided the opportunity for parents and children to gather with each other and other families of deployed Guardsmen and women, after going to an abbreviated delivery model during the height of the pandemic last year.
Nearly 200 family members gathered throughout the day as they enjoyed crafts, donated toys, sweets and the music of the 102nd Army Band. All this took place on the Hartford drill shed floor that was transformed into a winter wonderland following days of hard work by the staff of the Service Member and Family Support Center.
The Adopt-a-Family portion of E.L.F. is needs-based and always completely anonymous. It connects generous donors from inside the organization and members of the public with families enduring significant financial hardships, and donors provide essential items on the families’ lists such as household goods, cold weather clothing and other needs.
The last leg of the E.L.F. trifecta is the gift card drive. This effort allows the Foundation to meet unexpected and severe financial needs of our Soldiers and Airmen that might arise throughout the year. Examples might include a family that lost work, a service member whose house burned down, or a death in the family that caused serious financial harm.
Born in the 2001 in the shadow of the 9/11 attacks, then Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell, led an initiative across Connecticut that afforded an opportunity for the generous residents of our State to show their support for service members and families separated during the holiday season due to deployment.
The effort was an overwhelming success and in the months that followed, local businesses, organizations, school systems and residents continued to seek ways to illustrate their appreciation and respect for the service and sacrifices made by those in uniform and their families. In the fall of 2002, Lieutenant Governor Rell’s initiative took on the formal name “Operation Embracing Lonely Families (ELF.)”
The faces behind Operation E.L.F. have changed over the years as Lt. Governors and Connecticut National Guard leadership have come and gone, but each leader has shown significant passion for supporting the program. “Every year, I look forward to this special tradition and seeing the unsung heroes, the families of those deployed, met with love and support from their Connecticut National Guard community,” said Lt. Governor Bysiewicz.
“This tradition has been going on for 20 years, and I am proud to continue its legacy and give back to the families and loved ones of those National Guard members working to keep our country and others safe all across the globe.”
“This has been another incredibly busy and record-breaking year for our Soldiers, Airmen and families in terms of overseas deployments and domestic support,” said Maj. Gen. Evon. “For 20 years Operation E.L.F. has been one my favorite parts of the Holiday Season.
It’s a great opportunity to give back to our families, who are sacrificing so much, to make it possible for us to deploy far from home as well as support our communities. We are incredibly appreciative of then Lieutenant Governor Rell for adopting this initiative, as well as Lieutenant Governors Wyman and Bysiewicz for sustaining it over the years.”
Story by Maj. David Pytlik
Connecticut National Guard Public Affairs Office