The holidays can be a very lonely time for men and women in the military stationed overseas, but one corporation looks to deliver a Yule Tide of morale boosters.
Lets Say Thanks, a program created and run by Xerox Corporation employees, allows any grateful citizen to send postcards to United States troops who are thousands of miles away from their loved ones during a time when the rest of us are surrounded by family.
A spokesperson for the web site said that the program’s mission is to provide a way for individuals across the country to recognize the sacrifices made by service members not only during the holiday season, but all year round.
The program started with localized card drives held by Xerox in Atlanta and Phoenix in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Because of the overwhelming response, Xerox rolled out a national campaign in 2006, in conjunction with the Fourth of July, which included the launch of www.LetsSayThanks.com.
The postcards, depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images, were selected from a pool of entries from children around the country. Visitors to the site can write their own personalized greeting or elect to choose from 10 pre-written messages.
These messages are then printed by Xerox and delivered to men and women from all military branches deployed on active duty around the globe – including Iraq, Afghanistan and Asia.
Military forces based far from the comforts of home greatly appreciate the good will of ordinary Americans. One soldier, who sent a thank you to the web site, said that reading the letters and opening the care packages made them feel like children opening presents on Christmas morning.
Those interested in making the holidays, and the rest of the year, just a little brighter for U.S. troops are encouraged to visit www.LetsSayThanks.com for more information.
