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The AAA Companion

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The history of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is celebrated in the name of St. Valentine, but who is this love-inspiring saint, and why do we celebrate this holiday?

According to church tradition, St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. During that time, Roman Emperor Claudius II banned marriage because he felt unmarried men made better soldiers.

Valentine, a bishop, saw the torment this caused young lovers, so he secretly married them. Claudius learned of this “friend of lovers” and executed him on February 14, 270.

Valentine's martyrdom provided the church a way to Christianize the ancient pagan celebration honoring the Roman god Lupercus. In 496, Pope Gelasius declared the Feast of Lupercus day as Valentine's Day, in honor of St. Valentine.

AAA and FTD.com can help you say “I love you” as only flowers can. As a AAA member, you can save 20% off all floral and gift purchases from FTD.com. To make your selections, visit www.ftd.com/aaa or dial toll-free 800-SEND-FTD and mention promo code #4477.

The Gift of Sight is a AAA member tradition

Three million thank yous are bundled up in little seven-year-old Gabriel, the three-millionth recipient of glasses from LensCrafters' Give the Gift of Sight program.

“Gabriel touched my heart the minute I laid eyes on him,” explained Edith Hendrick, LensCrafters mission team member who fitted Gabriel with the glasses.

Since 1988, the Gift of Sight program has hand-delivered used glasses and given free eye exams to people in 23 developing countries such as Gabriel's home town of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Gabriel lives in a tiny eight-foot-by-eight-foot concrete room with his parents and little sister. Nothing in young Gabriel's life is easy and learning to read is difficult, especially when the letters look blurry and you have no glasses.

For years, AAA Colorado members have been generously donating their unused eyeglasses by dropping them off at any nearby AAA Colorado office or LensCrafters store. Donated glasses are entered into a computerized inventory management system. Associates and doctors who volunteer for international missions use laptops to pinpoint the best match for recipients like Gabriel. Now Gabriel has eyeglasses that are just right for him.

LensCrafters offers a 30% discount to all AAA members on eye exams and all complete pairs of eyeglasses.

Call 1-800-522-LENS for a store near you, or visit www.aaa.com.

DVDs delivered to your door

Tired of paying late fees or rushing back to the video store? Want greater selection with the convenience of DVDs delivered to your door?

Now AAA members can receive a $12 rebate (must be a new member for at least one month) and two-week free trial with Netflix. You can select and rent DVDs from home for only $17.99 per month. Choose from more than 25,000 DVDs and rent as many as you like (up to three at a time). Shipping is free both ways and there are no late fees, due dates or cancellation fees.

AAA members are eligible for the one-time, one-per household $12 rebate after a one-paid month subscription. The rebate check will come in the mail six-to-eight months after the first month. For further details and to sign up for your free trial, visit www.aaa.com/netflix.

Show Your Card & Save Program

This is the official savings program of AAA. Show your AAA membership card when you make a purchase at any of hundreds of national, international and local retail and service shops, travel-related companies, lodging establishments and automotive facilities. Various restrictions apply; for details visit your local AAA office, click on Member Savings at www.aaa.com, call 866-AAA-SAVE .