A new way to say thanks
Where to find it: The Gratitude Campaign – www.gratitudecampaign.org
Who runs the site: Scott Truitt founded the Gratitude Campaign because he wanted to give people an easy chance to say thank you to service men and women, as well as veterans they might see. He said he often approached military personnel in airports when he traveled to thank them, but sometimes it felt a bit awkward or the service people seemed embarrassed. He wanted a way to say thank you quickly and easily without approaching strangers, and he came up with a sign. The Web site is a way to pass it along.
Who is likely to use the site: People who want to view the short film Truitt had made about saying thank you, or people who want to learn the sign so they can say thanks to military people or anyone who does something nice in their own communities.
Pros: The site is simple to navigate, and it isn’t bogged down by a lot of links or too much information. On the site, visitors can watch a film about Truitt’s campaign. It comes in both a short and long version, depending on how much time a viewer has.
The movie shows how easy the sign is to use, and the site also explains the reason Truitt chose this particular sign. The sign is one that originated in France in the late 1700s and eventually became the current sign for thanks in American Sign Language. Rather than using the more common sign that goes from the chin to the belly, he chose the original sign where the hand starts at the heart to show thanks from the bottom of one’s heart.
The site also serves as a place to sell T-shirts, bracelets, dog tags and other merchandise that have the “Thank you” logo on them. At least 50 percent of the money goes to organizations that provide care packages to troops overseas.
Cons: The one thing that is missing from the site are some testimonials from some of the soldiers who have been touched by the campaign. Just a few comments from someone who was approached in an airport or who received one of the care packages would go a long way.
It would also be cool if the site had a place where people could sign their name as a show of gratitude. It would be great to see a bunch of names of people from all over the United States or other countries who took the time to say thanks.
Visit the site and think about saying thanks a little more often every day.
