What started as a simple idea just kept getting bigger and bigger, though. With the holidays coming late last year, she reached out to central Ohio organizations who might have been able to help provide Christmas gifts to a handful of such families in Madison County.
The USO was one of those organizations, and a few weeks later, they got back to Hill and put her in touch with the Blue Jackets. From there, a match seemed perfect -- Cam Atkinson, a noted supporter of military causes, and his family were looking to help a few families during the holiday season.
The result was that on Dec. 2, Atkinson, his wife Natalie and son Declan traveled to London for the city's annual Olde Fashioned Christmas celebration with gifts in tow. Four families from Madison County with servicemembers deployed overseas received not just a visit from the Atkinson family but a bushel of gifts to place under the tree for Christmas morning.
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"It was shocking," said London resident Amanda Hale, who has three kids and whose husband is in the Army and deployed overseas. "I didn't know about it, so I showed up and they came over and found me and told me he was there, and I actually cried. It was really awesome. It just felt like someone cared. It was awesome."
That was far from the only interaction with the Blue Jackets organization for those families. All four were invited to Nationwide Arena on Thursday night for the team's Military Appreciation Night game vs. Carolina. The families had a suite overlooking the ice for the festivities and then were invited to a meet and greet with Atkinson after the game.
"There's about 15 kids I believe that are coming, so hopefully they enjoy the game," Atkinson said before the contest, in which he
had a goal and an assist in his return
to the ice after missing nearly a month with an ankle sprain.
"For the most part, I think this is their first time coming to a game. It's always a perfect night to honor those families, and it goes a long way. Hopefully we get a win for them."
The Blue Jackets did just that, with Nick Foligno tallying the winning goal with 1:41 to play in the 3-2 triumph over the Hurricanes. But no matter what happened on the ice, the families in attendance seemed sure to have fun, with kids scurrying about the suite, enjoying food and beverage pregame, and having the opportunity to spend the night with the Blue Jackets.