From Breakfast Cereal to Late Night Pizza, The USO and Partners Make It Easy to Say Thanks and Show Your Support this Veterans Day
The USO issues a “U Can Do It” checklist and prepares for prime time with ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition “Rise and Honor” A Veterans Day Special with the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF)
Arlington, VA. (Nov. 7, 2011) Everyday the USO lives out its mission to lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families and Veterans Day is no different. This Veterans Day, 11-11-11, the USO has teamed up with key partners in order to say thank you to our nation’s heroes - veterans, active duty and their families by creating a comprehensive checklist of 11 easy ways to say thanks. The list encompasses a variety of ideas from sending “Cheer” postcards to military families to sharing your stories about that special military hero in your life. The USO encourages every American to complete at least one item this Veterans Day and continue to spread the word and give back to veterans, troops and their families all year round.
“For 70 years, the USO has been the way America says thank you to our troops and their families, and that’s why it’s imperative for us to partner, guide and demonstrate how easy it is for people to take action and show support to our veterans, troops and their families that have sacrificed so much. We can’t thank our partners enough for joining us, because there’s no such thing as doing too much for our troops and their families,” said, Sloan Gibson, USO President and CEO.
The partners the USO is working with touch a variety of product/retail and lifestyle categories that impact our every day lives. The following “U Can Do It” with the USO Checklist lists 11 ways that are guaranteed to jump-start your Veterans Day and keep our troops, veterans and their families top of mind this Veterans Day:
√ 11 WAYS “U CAN DO IT” WITH THE USO VETERANS DAY CHECKLIST
| Partner | Timeframe | How to Activate |
| General Mills/Cheerios | 10/14/ - 11/20 | Send “Cheer” postcards to military families found on Cheerios boxes. http://www.cheerios.com/Articles/Send-Cheer-to-Military-Families |
| American Airlines | 11/7/- 11/11 | Through November 11, AAdvantage® members will be rewarded 15 miles – instead of 10 – for each dollar donated to the USO at joinus.aa.com/military, stop by an American Airlines gate and celebrate “Yellow Ribbon Day” by wearing yellow to show your gratitude and share messages of support at www.facebook.com/AA |
| Papa John’s | 11/7- 11/20 | Spread the word about USO meal deals that support the troops and their families. www.papajohns.com |
| ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Rise & Honor A Veterans Day Special with EIF | 11/11/11& 11/14/11 | Tune in Friday, November 11th at 8pm EST/7pm CST on ABC for a one hour Veterans Day Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Special with stars like Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and hosts Ty Pennington and Jewel. Also this episode will run on 11/14/11 on Armed Forces Network (AFN) for troops and their families to watch overseas. www.riseandhonor.org |
| P&G / Wal-Mart Operation Family Connect | 10/14-12/10 | View and share the stories of military families at: www.uso.org/operationfamilyconnect/ |
| Bass Pro Shops | 11/11-12/31 | Stop by a Bass Pro Shop and check out Reelin’ It In For the Troops. www.basspro.com |
| Battleship | 11/11/11 | Submit your story of a military hero at the Battleship or USO Facebook tabs. www.facebook.com/theUSO |
| Gillette | 11/11-12/18 | Share a story about a military service member in your life on Facebook with Gillette. www.facebook.com/gillette |
| ESPN | 11/5-11/11 | Watch ESPN and visit www.espn.com because the USO is ESPN’s Charity of Choice. www.giveuso.org |
| Coca-Cola | 11/ - 12/17 | Download a coupon and tell a service member about how they can get their Free Coke®. http://www.uso.org/coca-cola/ |
| 7- Eleven | 11/11 | Free small Slurpee on 11/11/11 for from 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Offer good to all current and former military members. ID or proof of service required. |
In addition, the USO will benefit from proceeds raised by ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition “Rise and Honor” A Veterans Day Special lead by the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Together Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition and EIF are teaming up to present a one-hour special airing on Veterans Day (11/11/11) at 8pm EST/ 7pm CST on ABC. Host Ty Pennington will take viewers back to some of the most heartwarming military stories featured over the years. The special will culminate in a celebratory event that will feature an audience of active-duty service members and veterans in addition to a live musical performance by Jewel, who will also co-host the special.
Throughout the episode, celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Jewel, George Lopez, J.R. Martinez, Rachael Ray, Sherri Shepherd, Robin Williams and Major League Baseball (MLB) players Daniel Murphy of the Mets, Shane Victorino of the Phillies and Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox will shine a light on issues veterans face after serving in the military, as well as the strengths and skills returning veterans bring to the work force and their communities. The Veterans Day program will encourage the public to donate via phone and web at www.riseandhonor.org.
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Multimedia:
| USO 2011 Press Kit:https://uso.box.net/shared/4bzidy7tr6nx2bgng6hh |
Social Media and Other Web sites:Twitter: Twitter.com/The_USO Facebook: Facebook.com/TheUSOBlog: Blog.uso.orgWeb: uso.orgFlickr: Flickr.com/photos/theuso |
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, nonprofit 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 uso.org.