ESA Foundation and ThanksUSA Partner to Aid Military Families

Treasure Hunt Serves to Generate Donations to Annual Scholarship Fund

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ESA Foundation and ThanksUSA will unveil Treasure Hunt Six, a free online and fully interactive trivia and puzzle game about American history, culture and values, on Thanksgiving morning, the organizations announced today.  The Treasure Hunt series, now in its sixth year, serves to generate attention and donations to ThanksUSA's annual scholarship fund to benefit the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel.

The ESA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), will sponsor Treasure Hunt Six as part of a three-year partnership with ThanksUSA that began in 2008 and aims to increase the number of scholarships available to military families.

"As we enter our third year of partnering with ThanksUSA, we could not be more pleased to sponsor their annual treasure hunt as an expression of our gratitude to the families of America's servicemen and women," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA. "Education is certainly something to be thankful for, and we look forward to doing our part to help provide military families with the necessary resources to pursue their dreams of higher education."

This year's treasure hunt focuses on the fascinating histories of Oklahoma, West Virginia, and the U.S. Territories, along with the history of the United States National Guard and new topics including folk heroes, national parks and influential women. Treasure Hunt Six will officially launch on November 25, 2010, Thanksgiving morning.  Once the game ends on August 15, 2011, ThanksUSA will award prizes, including gift certificates, to the winner of each game "chapter." Contestants can access the game at www.ThanksUSA.org.

"We are delighted to have the videogame industry's continued support in this important endeavor," said ThanksUSA Executive Director Michele Stork. ThanksUSA has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships to nearly than 2,200 families across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. "With the ESA Foundation's help, this year we plan to award more than 250 scholarships to the families of America's armed forces."

About ThanksUSA

Founded in the fall of 2005, ThanksUSA, a non-partisan 501(c) (3) organization, is an effort to thank the men and women of our armed forces and their families for their service to the country with the gift of education. The organization provides need-based, post-secondary education opportunities to the children and spouses of active-duty status military personnel through competitive scholarships. For more information visit www.ThanksUSA.org.

About the ESA Foundation

The ESA Foundation was created by the American interactive entertainment software industry to support and provide opportunities that can make a difference in the lives of America's youth. The Foundation is fully supported by proceeds from its limited edition charity game pack's sales and its annual fundraiser, "A Nite to Unite – for Kids," which together have raised more than $11 million in the last 10 years. For more information about the ESA Foundation, please visit www.theESA.com/foundation.

SOURCE ThanksUSA