A campaign tried to get 100 Christmas cards to a 100-year-old B.C. veteran. He has 700 and counting

Vancouver-South Coast Moe Boyle sits with Irv Radatzke in hospital. She launched Operation Irv, which called on people to send the 100-year-old veteran Christmas cards.(Moe Boyle/Submitted) Many of the cards to Radatzke feature photos or drawings of dogs.( Moe Boyle/Submitted) Irv Radatzke celebrated his 100th birthday on Nov. 13 at Royal Columbian Hospital.(Moe Boyle/Submitted) A campaign tried to get 100 Christmas cards to a 100-year-old B.C. veteran. He has 700 and counting Irv Radatzke is known for giving back to community, and his friend says others have returned the favour When Irv Radatzke turned 100 years old last month, a longtime friend wanted to find a way to thank him for everything he’s done for the community. The Second World War veteran spent his birthday and Remembrance Day at New Westminster's Royal Columbian Hospital recovering from a fall. In an effort to boost his spirits, Moe Boyle launched Operation Irv, which asked people to send Christmas cards to the centenarian. The goal was to have the 100-year-old receive 100 Christmas cards this holiday season. The plan has exceeded expectations, she said. By her count, he has received more than 700 cards. Many of the cards feature pictures and drawings of dogs as Radatzke is known for his love of canines. The Second World War veteran has also received cards from schoolchildren. One card from a Grade 5 student reads: “Thank you for your service. You saved our country from evil taking over our country. I hope you get a lot of presents in the hospital. Have an eventful Christmas.” He's even received messages from as far as the North Pole. “We sent a card to Santa Claus and we got a response,” Boyle said, adding that Radatzke was notified that he made it on Santa's nice list. WATCH | Hospital stay for veteran sparks Christmas card drive: She said the cards and messages have brightened Radatzke’s time in hospital and will hopefully ease his transition into a care facility. “I read all the cards and he would go, ‘Oh, isn't that nice?’” she said. “That's what he would say. And I'd say, ‘look at this one from a five-year-old and I would read what the five-year-old said and, ‘Oh, that was nice.’” 'People just wanted to do this' Radatzke and Boyle met more than 20 years ago when she was a crossing guard and struck up a conversation with Radatzke, who walked his dogs nearby. “He told me his age. I didn’t believe him, so the next day he came down with his driver's licence to prove his age - and it was friends forever by then,” she told CBC’s On The Coast last month . Over their years of friendship, Boys says, she's seen him help out in countless ways. “Whether it’s to build a fence or plant flowers, he’s always been the one that you could rely on,” she said. “He’s never asked for anything in return. This man is so humble. He really is the sweetest man...

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