Elmo, Katie and Friends Wrap Up Final Leg of Seven-Month Sesame Street/USO Tour in Japan
Latest Installment Surpasses Tour Milestone at Yokota Air Base, Uplifting the Spirits of More Than 240,000 Military Families Since 2008
Twitter Pitch: @the_USO & @SESAMESTREET wrap up tour for military families in Japan!
ARLINGTON, VA. (October 18, 2011) – The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families - a free traveling USO tour exclusively for military families based on Sesame Workshop’s award winning Talk, Listen, Connect (TLC) initiative – is headed into the home stretch of its seven-month world tour. In April 2011, the tour unveiled a brand new Sesame Street character named Katie designed exclusively for this tour at a Joining Forces rally hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.
Details:
- The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families made its debut in July 2008 to help families deal with the challenges of deployment and homecomings and is the longest-running tour in the USO’s 70-year history.
- Since its inception three years ago, the tour has taken its message to more than 240,375 troops and military families, and performed more than 415 times on 122 military bases in 33 states and ten countries. Additionally, the tour has logged more than 106,585 miles and distributed more than 1.6 million giveaways, to include TLC kits, twirly lights, USO brochures, bandanas, Post-it® Notes, Picture Me® Books, t-shirts, magnets and buttons.
- The tour’s latest leg (i.e. its fifth installment) re-examines the challenges of deployments but focuses on their impact on military kids. Showcasing the power of friendship, Elmo and his Sesame pals will help Katie - a new military friend relocate to a new location with her family. Katie’s pals help her open up about her fears and excitement in dealing with change and making new friends, something military kids experience frequently.
- This tour debuted overseas at Fort Wainwright in Alaska on April 23 and will wrap up at Kadena Air Base on November 5.
To date, the tour’s fifh installment has performed 100 shows on 46 bases in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Korea, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain and Japan for 47,821 service members and their families.
- The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families is produced in partnership with the VEE Corporation and is comprised of a 25-minute high-energy character performance with special giveaways and vital outreach materials for those who attend.
- Visit http://www.uso.org/sesame for the most up to date tour schedule.
Quotes:
Attributed to Sloan Gibson, USO President and CEO:
"What a wonderful tour this has been. From our first day in Columbus Ohio as part of Joining Forces to now, as Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Family tour wraps up, I can't begin to express how proud we are to partner with the Sesame Workshop and take this unique tour to military families overseas. What better way to conclude this 7-month tour than by supporting military families in Japan, a region that has been plagued by a number of natural disasters this year. We are fortunate to be able to give military families a good reason to come together, share some laughs and forget about their everyday troubles."
Attributed to H Melvin Ming, Sesame Workshop President and CEO:
“It’s absolutely amazing to think how many military families have been touched by the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families. The tour is a great resource and Sesame Workshop is thrilled to partner with the USO to bring the show to military installations around the world.”
Attributed to Sesame Street’s Elmo:
“Elmo had so much fun visiting all his military friends and family! Thank you for singing and dancing with Rosita, Cookie Monster, Katie and Elmo. Elmo can’t wait to see you all again!”
Attributed to Katie, new Sesame Street character:
“I want to thank all my new friends for making me feel so welcomed! It was so much fun discovering new places with all of you.”
Multimedia:
| USO/Sesame Street Photos http://bit.ly/pRW1cl |
USO/Sesame Street B-roll https://uso.box.net/shared/ak19b33oel |
| Sesame Street Logo https://uso.box.net/shared/3l01s84odb |
USO Logo https://uso.box.net/shared/6q5cq0siij |
| USO/Sesame Street Tour Promo Photo https://uso.box.net/shared/hujhnjttji |
USO/Sesame Street Fact Sheets https://uso.box.net/shared/2yivihtocq |
Social Media and Other Web Sites:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_USO and http://twitter.com/SESAMESTREET
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theUSO and
http://www.facebook.com/SesameStreetForMilitaryFamilies
Blog: http://blog.uso.org
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/USO4troops
Web: http://www.uso.org and http://www.sesamestreet.org
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About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families millions of times each year at hundreds of places worldwide. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families and the families of the fallen.
The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors. In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by President’s Circle Partners: American Airlines and TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Worldwide Strategic Partners: AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation and Procter & Gamble. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this patriotic mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit http://www.uso.org.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
Contacts:
Pam Hacker Karen Hart Oname Thompson
Sesame Workshop Media Consultant USO
212.875.6225 202.492.6492 703.908.6471
pam.hacker@sesame.org karenjo_hart@yahoo.com othompson@uso.org
Pam Hacker Karen Hart Oname Thompson
Sesame Workshop Media Consultant USO
212.875.6225 202.492.6492 703.908.6471
pam.hacker@sesame.org karenjo_hart@yahoo.com othompson@uso.org
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