Thank You Note Project Gets Kids Writing Their Thanks To Santa
With help from ad agency Commerce House, The Thanks-Giving Foundation aims to start kids on the good habit of a lifetime.
DALLAS, Dec. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year, more than 8 million children in the United States alone send letters to Santa Claus asking for Christmas gifts. Yet how many of them send a thank you note to the North Pole? A new project from The Thanks-Giving Foundation will have kids writing and posting thank you notes to Santa on a mobile-friendly website (www.thankyounoteproject.com). Launching today, the site will post thank you notes to Santa through January.
"The holiday season provides the perfect opportunity to teach children the etiquette of thank you notes," said Thank You Note Project spokesperson Tiffany Divis, who ran the White House gift giving for President George W. Bush. "The practice skipped a generation, and we're moving to restore it. We want to encourage this generation of parents to get their kids to say thanks in meaningful ways."
On the website, kids can post photos or scans of handwritten notes, or create digital notes using any of a number of templates. The Thank You Note Project team will review every submission, send an acceptance email with a link to the page on the site, and then share a select number of notes on the organization's Facebook page. Parents are encouraged to share kids' posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
"Kids need to hear about manners at home and at school," said Rachel Cobb-Williams, whose kindergarten and first grade students at Quitman (Arkansas) Elementary School created notes for the website's debut. "A lot of kids today aren't conditioned to say 'thank you.' Once they get it in their heads, it becomes a habit that will make them more successful in life."
The Thank You Note Project was created pro bono by Dallas ad agency Commerce House, whose founder and CEO Mark Denesuk is on the Board of Directors of The Thanks-Giving Foundation. In addition to creating the concept and website, the agency is handling paid and social media for the effort.
"To extend our gratitude mission, we needed people to take action," said Denesuk. "We settled on Christmas because it's a focal point for kids, and a natural teaching moment. This is an important step toward balancing out the commercialism of the holidays by inspiring thankfulness as an appropriate response to a gift."
Founded 50 years ago to reveal the true strength and spirit of Dallas in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Thanks-Giving Foundation has primarily promoted the value of gratitude in building civic unity. The Thank You Note Project puts the spirit into action on a personal and family level.
"Expressions of thanks are the basis of a good life," said Chris Slaughter, president of The Thanks-Giving Foundation. "The Thank You Note Project can reach people in a practical, everyday way, so they experience the power of gratitude."
About The Thanks-Giving Foundation
The Thanks-Giving Foundation promotes the spirit and unifying value of giving thanks in our community, nation, and world. The Foundation provides information and resources so that citizens from diverse backgrounds can use thanksgiving as a way to heal divisions and enhance mutual understanding.
About Commerce House
Founded in 2005, Commerce House is an advertising agency that builds brands at the forefront of business and consumer movements. We take what clients do best and make it matter most with a comprehensive service offering that includes marketing and communications strategy counsel, advertising, digital marketing, direct marketing, and strategic design. We have done forefront work that matters for such global brands as Guinness, Samsung, and Zico, as well as regional brands including Texas Health Resources and the Dallas Fire Department. Commerce House is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Contact:
Fred Pfaff at Fred Pfaff Inc., [email protected], 917-902-6883
SOURCE Commerce House
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