Greta Perry of Mandeville has always had a flair for organizing and a positive attitude.

The freelance writer and mother of three moved to Louisiana shortly after her husband retired from the Army in October 2006. A former teacher and athletic trainer, she put her skills to work as a professional organizer, and eventually wound up with a radio show.

She started a number of blogs, offering her impressions of life as a military wife and Louisiana in general. Still dedicated to the military, she wanted a more hands-on way to help soldiers and their families.

Greta Perry

That’s when she met Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides aid and comfort to men and women serving in all branches of the Armed Forces. The two met at a 2007 military blogger’s conference in Washington, D.C., and Patton-Bader invited Perry to spend the day with her at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

“That was it,” said Perry. “I knew I had to get involved with this organization.”

Perry quickly became the group’s state coordinator for Louisiana, helping direct the efforts of more than 300 volunteers. The volunteers form teams that take on a number of different projects to assist veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families.

There are more than 30 teams, including Angel Bakers, which provides homemade treats for the deployed; Blankets of Hope, which distributes knitted or sewn lap blankets to the wounded; and Guardian Angels of Soldiers’ Pets, to care for family pets during deployment. The most comprehensive program comes from the Adopt-a-Soldier team, which involves sending care packages, letters or other necessary items to a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine for the duration of their deployment.

Shortly after joining the organization, Perry thought those born and bred in Louisiana might appreciate a bit of home in the form of a Mardi Gras care package.

She got a few folks together to send boxes of beads, small plain king cakes, and festive decorations to their adopted soldiers. About 50 boxes were collected and when this year’s Mardi Gras season rolled around, she pulled out all the stops. Perry began promoting the effort at every opportunity, and articles appeared from Lafayette to Houma.

Soon her phone began ringing off the hook, and by tomorrow’s deadline more than 500 boxes will have been shipped.

“The kids really got involved this year,” she said. “Whole classrooms started putting boxes together, and it was wonderful to see how much they enjoyed it.”

Perry said since the Mardi Gras project started a couple of months ago, more than 30 new Angels have registered for the program. She feels that people all over the community want to get involved in supporting the troops, but may not know how to go about it.

She estimates she spends at least 40 hours a week on projects for the organization, and said while the job has been rewarding, there are moments that are extremely difficult. Recently she attended a funeral for a young soldier killed in Iraq.

“It was a Blue to Gold ceremony too, which is when a Blue Star mom is given a gold star after their son or daughter is killed,” she said. “It was heartbreaking.”

More often she gets to participate in projects that make a real difference, such as when she delivered a voice-activated laptop to a Vietnam veteran left a quadriplegic after a recent auto accident. Perry took it to him at the War Veteran’s Home in Reserve, and spent the afternoon helping him learn how to operate it.

Perry said there are still close to 500 soldiers awaiting adoption by the group.

“The best thing is, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money,” said Perry. “It can be something as simple as sending a card every month, and people underestimate how much that can mean.”

For more information, go to www.soldiersangelsla.org.