A Million Thanks - How to say Thank You to the Men and Women serving our Country
Submitted by aMillionThanks on Fri, 02/20/2009 - 15:37.
Last updated on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 19:22.
Vital Stats
ongoing project
03/01/2004
1000000
2500
100,000
Project Photos
The Problem
When I was a freshman in high school I wanted to do something to help the men and women who volunteer to serve our country in the military because I saw a news report that said our service members suffer alot of depression, especially those stationed overseas. The report also cited an increase in suicides in soldiers serving in Iraq. I knew there had to be a way to improve their self-worth.
I also had read that getting mail from home was uplifting for our military. This was even true I found for soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
Why It's Important
I then decided I would create an organization that collects and distributes thank you letters to our military. My organization is called, "A Million Thanks". I chose thank you letters specifically because studies have shown that when a person gets a pat on the back, praise or receives a thank you verbally or in writing that their self-esteem greatly improves. The goal I initially set was to send one million thank you letters which is how I came up with the name, "A Million Thanks" for my organization.
The Plan Of Action
I knew I would need a lot of help, so I went to my high school Principal, Gregg Pinick to see if A Million Thanks could be a school project. He said yes, so I began to promote our kick off assembly. That day several television stations showed up and the story made Associated Press. From there, Americans all over the U.S. read about A Million Thanks and how they could send their thank you letter, card or email to us and we would forward them to our military. As our military serving overseas read about us in the Armed Forces Press, they began sending their addresses to us so they could receive letters from home. Entire platoons and Chaplains units signed up as well.
Amazingly, I reached my goal of sending one million thank you letters in only 7 months. Americans from all over the U.S. and even people in foreign countries continue to send thank you letters to us to forward to our military service members. Over 4.5 million have been sent to military stationed all over the world. With 2.6 active military serving our country, we have symbolically thanked each one of them.
I do this because our men and women who serve our country need to know that we back home appreciate the work they do and all the sacrifices they make so our country can continue with the freedoms we all enjoy. I have received hundreds of emails and letters back from our military service members who say over and over that even one thank you letter from someone they don't know lifts their morale for months. Many say they cry when they read the words "thank you" because it means so much to them. I have received many thank you gifts from soldiers who were sent a box of thank you letters from us. The gifts range from Amercian flags flown over bases in my honor, to unit t-shirts, even combat shirts and patches worn by soldiers during battles. Though I never want anything in return, the gifts show me how powerful A Million Thanks is and the huge impact those two words, "thank you" have made to a soldier.
I am now finishing setting up the next part of my organization which is called Wounded Soldiers Wish. It is a 501c3 non-profit charity which will grant wishes of soldiers wounded in the War on Terrorism.
How Can Others Get Involved?
People can sign up to be a drop off location on my web site, A Million Thanks.org. We have over 500 all over the U.S. People can also make financial donations as well to help with postage or to grant wishes for wounded soldiers
Project Updates
No updates found!
Final Grant Update
07/24/09
A Million Thanks.orgNumber of people impacted: 1,000,000+
Describe the impact the grant had: It helped to prived us with additional funds to create a better web site so wounded soldiers can get their applications in to us easier
Project highlights: 1) We recently granted the wish of a soldier who returned from Iraq and wanted to take his wife to see Dancing With the Stars Tour. We provided floor tickets for them so they could be up close on the dance floor. The soldier cried on the phone as we told him where to get the tickets. 2) We recently received and email from a soldier who received a box of thank you letters from us at his base in Iraq. He was overwhelmed with the kind words of support he received. 3) We are getting ready to launch the Wounded Soldiers Wish web site
How did the project unfold and develop? A Million Thanks has continued to provide support for our troops through the delivery of thank you letters collected from Americans all over the U.S. We are putting the finishing touches on our Wounded Soldiers Wish project that will grant wishes of soldiers who were injured during the continuing War on Terrorism
Location
Related Causes:
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Amazingly, I reached my goal of sending one million thank you letters in only 7 months. Americans from all over the U.S. and even people in foreign countries continue to send thank you letters to us to forward to our military service members. Over 4.5 million have been sent to military stationed all over the world. With 2.6 active military serving our country, we have symbolically thanked each one of them.
I do this because our men and women who serve our country need to know that we back home appreciate the work they do and all the sacrifices they make so our country can continue with the freedoms we all enjoy. I have received hundreds of emails and letters back from our military service members who say over and over that even one thank you letter from someone they don't know lifts their morale for months. Many say they cry when they read the words "thank you" because it means so much to them. I have received many thank you gifts from soldiers who were sent a box of thank you letters from us. The gifts range from Amercian flags flown over bases in my honor, to unit t-shirts, even combat shirts and patches worn by soldiers during battles. Though I never want anything in return, the gifts show me how powerful A Million Thanks is and the huge impact those two words, "thank you" have made to a soldier.
I am now finishing setting up the next part of my organization which is called Wounded Soldiers Wish. It is a 501c3 non-profit charity which will grant wishes of soldiers wounded in the War on Terrorism.
How Can Others Help?: People can sign up to be a drop off location on my web site, A Million Thanks.org. We have over 500 all over the U.S. People can also make financial donations as well to help with postage or to grant wishes for wounded soldiers
Total hours volunteered (to date): 3000Start Date: 03/01/2004Money Raised: 100,000
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I am now finishing setting up the next part of my organization which is called Wounded Soldiers Wish. It is a 501c3 non-profit charity which will grant wishes of soldiers wounded in the War on Terrorism.
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I do this because our men and women who serve our country need to know that we back home appreciate the work they do and all the sacrifices they make so our country can continue with the freedoms we all enjoy. I have received hundreds of emails and letters back from our military service members who say over and over that even one thank you letter from someone they don't know lifts their morale for months. Many say they cry when they read the words "thank you" because it means so much to them. I have received many thank you gifts from soldiers who were sent a box of thank you letters from us. The gifts range from Amercian flags flown over bases in my honor, to unit t-shirts, even combat shirts and patches worn by soldiers during battles. Though I never want anything in return, the gifts show me how powerful A Million Thanks is and the huge impact those two words, "thank you" have made to a soldier.
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[#value] => What's the problem you are trying to solve?: When I was a freshman in high school I wanted to do something to help the men and women who volunteer to serve our country in the military because I saw a news report that said our service members suffer alot of depression, especially those stationed overseas. The report also cited an increase in suicides in soldiers serving in Iraq. I knew there had to be a way to improve their self-worth.
I also had read that getting mail from home was uplifting for our military. This was even true I found for soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
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[#value] => Why is it important to you?: I then decided I would create an organization that collects and distributes thank you letters to our military. My organization is called, "A Million Thanks". I chose thank you letters specifically because studies have shown that when a person gets a pat on the back, praise or receives a thank you verbally or in writing that their self-esteem greatly improves. The goal I initially set was to send one million thank you letters which is how I came up with the name, "A Million Thanks" for my organization.
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[#value] => What's your plan of action?: I knew I would need a lot of help, so I went to my high school Principal, Gregg Pinick to see if A Million Thanks could be a school project. He said yes, so I began to promote our kick off assembly. That day several television stations showed up and the story made Associated Press. From there, Americans all over the U.S. read about A Million Thanks and how they could send their thank you letter, card or email to us and we would forward them to our military. As our military serving overseas read about us in the Armed Forces Press, they began sending their addresses to us so they could receive letters from home. Entire platoons and Chaplains units signed up as well.
Amazingly, I reached my goal of sending one million thank you letters in only 7 months. Americans from all over the U.S. and even people in foreign countries continue to send thank you letters to us to forward to our military service members. Over 4.5 million have been sent to military stationed all over the world. With 2.6 active military serving our country, we have symbolically thanked each one of them.
I do this because our men and women who serve our country need to know that we back home appreciate the work they do and all the sacrifices they make so our country can continue with the freedoms we all enjoy. I have received hundreds of emails and letters back from our military service members who say over and over that even one thank you letter from someone they don't know lifts their morale for months. Many say they cry when they read the words "thank you" because it means so much to them. I have received many thank you gifts from soldiers who were sent a box of thank you letters from us. The gifts range from Amercian flags flown over bases in my honor, to unit t-shirts, even combat shirts and patches worn by soldiers during battles. Though I never want anything in return, the gifts show me how powerful A Million Thanks is and the huge impact those two words, "thank you" have made to a soldier.
I am now finishing setting up the next part of my organization which is called Wounded Soldiers Wish. It is a 501c3 non-profit charity which will grant wishes of soldiers wounded in the War on Terrorism.
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[#value] => How Can Others Help?: People can sign up to be a drop off location on my web site, A Million Thanks.org. We have over 500 all over the U.S. People can also make financial donations as well to help with postage or to grant wishes for wounded soldiers
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[#children] => What's the problem you are trying to solve?: When I was a freshman in high school I wanted to do something to help the men and women who volunteer to serve our country in the military because I saw a news report that said our service members suffer alot of depression, especially those stationed overseas. The report also cited an increase in suicides in soldiers serving in Iraq. I knew there had to be a way to improve their self-worth.
I also had read that getting mail from home was uplifting for our military. This was even true I found for soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
Why is it important to you?: I then decided I would create an organization that collects and distributes thank you letters to our military. My organization is called, "A Million Thanks". I chose thank you letters specifically because studies have shown that when a person gets a pat on the back, praise or receives a thank you verbally or in writing that their self-esteem greatly improves. The goal I initially set was to send one million thank you letters which is how I came up with the name, "A Million Thanks" for my organization.What's your plan of action?: I knew I would need a lot of help, so I went to my high school Principal, Gregg Pinick to see if A Million Thanks could be a school project. He said yes, so I began to promote our kick off assembly. That day several television stations showed up and the story made Associated Press. From there, Americans all over the U.S. read about A Million Thanks and how they could send their thank you letter, card or email to us and we would forward them to our military. As our military serving overseas read about us in the Armed Forces Press, they began sending their addresses to us so they could receive letters from home. Entire platoons and Chaplains units signed up as well.
Amazingly, I reached my goal of sending one million thank you letters in only 7 months. Americans from all over the U.S. and even people in foreign countries continue to send thank you letters to us to forward to our military service members. Over 4.5 million have been sent to military stationed all over the world. With 2.6 active military serving our country, we have symbolically thanked each one of them.
I do this because our men and women who serve our country need to know that we back home appreciate the work they do and all the sacrifices they make so our country can continue with the freedoms we all enjoy. I have received hundreds of emails and letters back from our military service members who say over and over that even one thank you letter from someone they don't know lifts their morale for months. Many say they cry when they read the words "thank you" because it means so much to them. I have received many thank you gifts from soldiers who were sent a box of thank you letters from us. The gifts range from Amercian flags flown over bases in my honor, to unit t-shirts, even combat shirts and patches worn by soldiers during battles. Though I never want anything in return, the gifts show me how powerful A Million Thanks is and the huge impact those two words, "thank you" have made to a soldier.
I am now finishing setting up the next part of my organization which is called Wounded Soldiers Wish. It is a 501c3 non-profit charity which will grant wishes of soldiers wounded in the War on Terrorism.
How Can Others Help?: People can sign up to be a drop off location on my web site, A Million Thanks.org. We have over 500 all over the U.S. People can also make financial donations as well to help with postage or to grant wishes for wounded soldiers
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[#value] => Total hours volunteered (to date): 3000
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[#value] => Start Date: 03/01/2004
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[#value] => Money Raised: 100,000
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[#children] => Total hours volunteered (to date): 3000Start Date: 03/01/2004Money Raised: 100,000
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[#children] => Is this a...: ongoing projectWeb site link: http://www.amillionthanks.orgVideo (optional):
Current age (NOTE: this section is for people 25 and younger): 7How many people are directly involved in your project? : 2500How many people has your project helped? : 1000000Location(s)
Orange, CA, 92867See map: Google MapsWhat's the problem you are trying to solve?: When I was a freshman in high school I wanted to do something to help the men and women who volunteer to serve our country in the military because I saw a news report that said our service members suffer alot of depression, especially those stationed overseas. The report also cited an increase in suicides in soldiers serving in Iraq. I knew there had to be a way to improve their self-worth.
I also had read that getting mail from home was uplifting for our military. This was even true I found for soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
Why is it important to you?: I then decided I would create an organization that collects and distributes thank you letters to our military. My organization is called, "A Million Thanks". I chose thank you letters specifically because studies have shown that when a person gets a pat on the back, praise or receives a thank you verbally or in writing that their self-esteem greatly improves. The goal I initially set was to send one million thank you letters which is how I came up with the name, "A Million Thanks" for my organization.What's your plan of action?: I knew I would need a lot of help, so I went to my high school Principal, Gregg Pinick to see if A Million Thanks could be a school project. He said yes, so I began to promote our kick off assembly. That day several television stations showed up and the story made Associated Press. From there, Americans all over the U.S. read about A Million Thanks and how they could send their thank you letter, card or email to us and we would forward them to our military. As our military serving overseas read about us in the Armed Forces Press, they began sending their addresses to us so they could receive letters from home. Entire platoons and Chaplains units signed up as well.
Amazingly, I reached my goal of sending one million thank you letters in only 7 months. Americans from all over the U.S. and even people in foreign countries continue to send thank you letters to us to forward to our military service members. Over 4.5 million have been sent to military stationed all over the world. With 2.6 active military serving our country, we have symbolically thanked each one of them.
I do this because our men and women who serve our country need to know that we back home appreciate the work they do and all the sacrifices they make so our country can continue with the freedoms we all enjoy. I have received hundreds of emails and letters back from our military service members who say over and over that even one thank you letter from someone they don't know lifts their morale for months. Many say they cry when they read the words "thank you" because it means so much to them. I have received many thank you gifts from soldiers who were sent a box of thank you letters from us. The gifts range from Amercian flags flown over bases in my honor, to unit t-shirts, even combat shirts and patches worn by soldiers during battles. Though I never want anything in return, the gifts show me how powerful A Million Thanks is and the huge impact those two words, "thank you" have made to a soldier.
I am now finishing setting up the next part of my organization which is called Wounded Soldiers Wish. It is a 501c3 non-profit charity which will grant wishes of soldiers wounded in the War on Terrorism.
How Can Others Help?: People can sign up to be a drop off location on my web site, A Million Thanks.org. We have over 500 all over the U.S. People can also make financial donations as well to help with postage or to grant wishes for wounded soldiers
Total hours volunteered (to date): 3000Start Date: 03/01/2004Money Raised: 100,000
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Thanks for the inspiration!
HEY I NEED HELP TO SEND LETTERS TO THE TROOPS. FOR SOME ODD REASON IT WONT LET ME DO IT BY PRESSING ON THE LINK.
Thank you a lot for everything that you are doing and for all the motivation that you give us.
God bless our troops, who have dedicate their lives to serve our country. God blessed them for having the courage to lived their love ones to serve the nation. and with the help of ALMIGHTY GOD, they will come home safely. Amen.
how do u email them?!
Paul Cody
Founder,Parties For Causes
http://bit.ly/889otF
Can kids across America raise funds and suport for you in Kids Philanthropy Parties http://bit.ly/4H6RIG
the courage to lived their love ones to serve the nation. and with the help of ALMIGHTY GOD, they will come home safely.
online degree | accredited life experience degree | life experience degree program
Wow...this was a really good article. Probably one of the best I've read on
life experience associate degree | Corllins University
You're amazing! I'm trying to get our school into doing this and everyone writing a letter to the troops. After the school, I'm planning on getting the community involved too. We're also doing the soldiers angels program so you can let troops know if they want, they can join that as well. Thank you for setting all this up!
The report also cited an increase in suicides in soldiers serving in Iraq. I knew there had to be a way to improve their self-worth. I also had read that getting mail from home was uplifting for our military.
( Logo Design Melbourne|Website Design Melbourne|Graphic Design Melbourne )
Ashley<3
I would love to help, but I am unable to visit the link