USO Celebrates 11 Million Military Moments Worldwide and the One-Year Anniversary of ‘Every Moment Counts’
Arlington, VA (PRWEB) November 07, 2014 -- This Veterans Day marks the one-year anniversary of the USO’s Every Moment Counts campaign. Over the past year, nearly 11 million special moments were created for our troops and their families across the world as part of the USO’s national initiative to rally Americans to show their gratitude for those everyday moments that our troops and their families miss by serving our country. To celebrate this milestone, the USO invites the American people to create, share and support moments that matter for our troops on 11/11 and join the USO as we set out to deliver another 11 million moments worldwide in 2015.
Taking Every Moment Counts to new heights in year two is CMA Award-winning artist and four-time GRAMMY nominee Hunter Hayes, who partnered with the USO in September and pledged to create special #USOmoments for troops and their families at each of the 17 stops on his Tattoo (Your Name) Tour, which commenced at Best Buy Theater in New York City on Tuesday, Oct. 28. At a new Every Moment Counts ambassador, Hayes will create a unique moment during each show to recognize service members and their families.
“Every Moment Counts – I love those three words,” said Hayes. “I love that that’s what our current focus is. They give so much for us - that every moment with them, we never want to take it for granted.”
This Veterans Day, the USO invites Americans to once again join the Every Moment Counts campaign by giving $11 on 11/11 to help provide troops and their families with moments of appreciation. Between center visits, entertainment events and program activities, the USO creates about 30,000 moments for troops and their families each day, allowing the USO to create nearly 11 million moments a year. A simple $11 contribution can go a long way for a service member and their family. For example $11 can provide:
• A free meal for three people at USO Flapjack Friday or No Dough Dinner
• 70 cups of coffee for our troops (two 1-pound bags of coffee)
• 34 calls home from Southwest Asia
• 55 bottles of water for troops
“From the front porch to the front lines, troops and their families sacrifice life’s everyday moments that we take for granted. Their commitment to serve and protect our country is humbling,” said J.D. Crouch II, USO President and CEO. “Every Moment Counts provides Americans a chance to say ‘thank you’ and help give those simple moments back to our service men and women and their families that do so much for us worldwide.”
The USO has many ways for Americans to give back to our troops and families this Veterans Day. The following partners are joining the USO to provide even more support and awareness this November:
• Baskin Robbins is unveiling their November flavor of the month, First Class Camouflage, and donating $0.10 to the USO for every scoop sold on 11/11.
• Mrs. Fields Famous Brands (“Mrs. Fields”), is donating $50,000 to the USO putting the Every Moment Counts logo on boxed grocery items and donating 35,000 cookies for use in USO2GO kits, which are provided to troops stationed in the most remote and restricted locations.
• FTD – For November and December customers who shop http://www.ftd.com/uso, will save 20% on their purchase and 11% of the sale will be donated to the USO.
• “A Salute to the Troops: In Performance at the White House” is a PBS music special from the South Lawn of the White House. President and Mrs. Obama will host the event on Thursday, November 6, 2014 in advance of Veterans Day and as part of The White House “Joining Forces” initiative, with an all-star tribute to the men and women who serve the United States. The production is also working with the USO, for a performance by Daughtry via satellite of their USO concert at Yokota Air Base in Japan, as well as a live-viewing audience of troops from the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir in Virginia— both to be included in the White House concert and the broadcast. “A Salute to the Troops: In Performance at the White House” will premiere Friday, November 7 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide, as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival. (Check local listings.) The program will also be broadcast on November 11, Veterans Day, via the American Forces Network to American service men and women and civilians at U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world.
• As part of Marie Callender's Comforts From Home Project, which brings the comforts of home to troops serving in remote locations, Marie Callender's has teamed up with the USO and Scripps networks for the nationally televised event, "A Hero's Welcome." Airing on HGTV, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Great American Country and the Travel Channel on 11/11. A Hero's Welcome is an hour long special that honors the men and women who have served in the U.S. military. Plus through January 31, 2015, for every code entered at ComfortsFromHome.com from specially marked packaged of Marie Callender's products, 50 cents will be donated to the USO's USO2GO program, up to $250,000.
The inaugural year of Every Moment Counts was filled with everyday moments to record breaking events. For a comprehensive interactive timeline of USO moments from the first year of the campaign visit http://www.usomoments.org/timeline/. Significant highlights include:
• Last November, singer Jason Derulo helped 2013 USO Coast Guardsman of the Year Petty Officer 3rd Class Sam Peikert pull off a surprise proposal to his girlfriend during the Veterans Day kick off in Times Square with ABC’s Good Morning America.
• In December, Kellie Pickler brought the comforts of home to deployed troops and celebrated Christmas in Afghanistan on her 7th USO tour.
• For Valentine’s Day, USO centers and supporters sent USO Love Notes to troops around the world.
• In the spring, the USO set out to break the Guinness World Records® title for most signatures on a flag and officially received the title this fall.
• This summer the USO helped Army Lieutenant Beau McNeff meet his baby girl for the first time in NYC and surprise his three young children with his homecoming after his nine month deployment to Afghanistan on NBC’s The Meredith Vieira Show and;
• In early fall, the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families tour celebrated visiting, entertaining and creating moments that matter for more than half a million troops and military families around the world. This year marked the tour’s sixth consecutive year on the road and its first year partnering with the USO’s Every Moment Counts campaign.
Additionally, corporate partners were also a valuable force in supporting the foundational year of the Every Moment Counts campaign including 7-eleven, Build-A- Bear Workshop®, The Coca-Cola Company and Tastykake. Together they have made special efforts with their promotions in support of our troops and families. To learn more about what the USO’s corporate partners are doing to support our nation’s troops visit http://www.uso.org/USO-Partners-Support-Our-Troops/.
The Every Moment Counts campaign was created to rally Americans to help the USO provide simple, everyday moments that mean so much to our troops and their families. The challenges of military life do not end when deployment does. For this reason, USO is committed to helping our troops and their families throughout their service – making every moment count – whether they are deployed or returning home. For more information about the Every Moment Counts campaign or to obtain photos, interviews and a press kit, visit http://onlinepressroom.net/uso/.
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About the USO
The USO 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 in the U.S. and abroad, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops, military families, wounded warriors, troops in transition and families of the fallen. The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. Our programs and services are made possible by the American people, support of our corporate partners and the dedication of our volunteers and staff.
In addition to individual donors and corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by President’s Circle Partners: American Airlines, AT&T, BNSF Railway, Clark Construction Group, LLC, The Coca-Cola Company, Grand Canyon University, JCPenney, Jeep, Johnson & Johnson, Kroger, Northrop Grumman Corporation and TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Worldwide Strategic Partners: BAE Systems, BIC, The Boeing Company, ConAgra Foods, FedEx, Harris Teeter, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Procter & Gamble, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG and Wawa Inc. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this important mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit uso.org.
Gayle Fishel, USO, http://uso.org, +1 (703) 908-6433, [email protected]
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