May 22, 2013 / Media Contacts:
Karen Hart
Office (202) 492-6492
Andrea Sok
Office (703) 579-0858
The USO and Sesame Street Announce Spring Kick Off of World Tour
at Biannual Care Package Service Project Event in DC
Tour Celebrates Its Fifth Birthday at Eielson Air Force Base on May 29th Before Traveling to 42 Military Bases in Eight Countries Over Next Six Months
TWITTER: @the_USO & @SesameStreet are proud to kick-off their 5th Military Family Tour together, heading to 8 countries in the next 6 months!
ARLINGTON, VA (May 22, 2013) – Today, the USO, Sesame Street, Cookie Monster and members of Congress came together to show their heartfelt thanks to those who currently serve our nation and assembled 2,000 USO Care Packages for distribution to our servicemen and women. The group was also on hand to celebrate the five-year partnership of Sesame Street and the USO as well as the success of the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families - a free, traveling entertainment tour that has been visiting military installations around the world since 2008 as an extension of Sesame Street’s military families initiative. **Photos included**
“It is an honor to come together with my congressional colleagues in support of our U.S. service members,” said Rep. Jeff Miller R-Fla. “We say thank you to the USO and Sesame Street for their commitment and dedication to our military families, and congratulate them on five years of tour success.”
During the three-hour Care Package Service Project event, the USO and Sesame Street announced the Spring kick off of their world tour, which begins at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on May 29 and will visit 42 bases in 8 European and Pacific countries over the next six months. The organizations hope others will be inspired to learn more and suggest these five simple actions everyone can do to support military families:
1. Volunteer at one of the more than 160 USO locationsaround the world and discover ways you can take action locally.
2. Offer to help a military family on the home front who live on or off base. Whether you see that their lawn needs to be mowed or garbage cans taken in, helping with simple household chores and errands can really relieve some of the stress a family may be feeling.
3. Teach your child how they can help support military kids in their school by visiting uso.org/get-involved.aspx and or Facebook.com/SesameStreetforMilitaryFamilies.
4. Lend an ear to listen to a military spouse as sometimes just having someone there to vent to or talk to when you may feel all alone can be the greatest support of all.
5. Say thank you to a military member and their family for their service, sacrifice and strength. Our troops and their families make sacrifices so we don’t have to and those two simple words say so much.
“There is nothing that comes close to the feeling you get when you see the smile on a child’s face at our Sesame Street shows. I knew we had something very special the first time I saw the smiles of our military families, and here we are five years later, celebrating a tour that that has traveled the globe three times over and is about to do it again,” said Sloan Gibson, USO President and CEO. “The USO is proud to be on Capitol Hill celebrating the tour’s fifth birthday and assembling care packages for troops overseas. There is no better way to commemorate such a momentous occasion than IN our nation’s capital and WITH our friends at Sesame Street.”
The longest running tour in USO history, the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families has taken its message to more than 368,000 troops and military families, and performed 631 shows on 145 military installations in 33 states and 11 countries. In 2011, Sesame Street and the USO introduced a brand new character named Katie – a military child experiencing the stresses of moving as her parents are transferred to a new duty station. Last year, Katie and her Sesame Street pals visited 67 military bases and performed 204 shows stateside.
“Sesame Street has so much admiration and respect for our military families, we feel privileged to partner with our friends at the USO and be a part of this special USO Care Package event,” said H. Mel Ming, Sesame Workshop President and CEO. “This is a great way to show our continued support to our service men and women and to celebrate five years of bringing our resources and the Sesame Street/USO Experience to Military Families to installations around the world.”
Operation USO Care Packages contain vital items troops use every day, from prepaid international phone cards and snacks to travel-size toiletries and comfort items. Designed as a way for America to say ‘thank you’ to our troops and their families overseas as well as to unite communities, today’s Care Packages included a special gratitude card from Cookie Monster as well as a personal note to troops signed by USO Caucus Co-Chairs,Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., Howard (Buck) McKeon, R-Cali., and Adam Smith, D-Wash.
Since 2003, the USO has delivered 2.3 million care packages to bring a touch of home and necessities to active duty military serving all over the world. USO Care Packages are distributed to troops traveling through the USO’s more than 160 locations worldwide as well as to troops serving overseas.
Whether on the frontlines, with their loved ones, in recovery or in remembrance, the USO and Sesame Street are adapting to meet the needs of those who need us most. Operation USO Care Package and The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families are just two of the ways we can help them navigate life’s challenges. To learn more Operation USO Care Package visit www.uso.org/operation-uso-care-package.aspx. To learn more about the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families or check for the latest tour info visit www.USO.org/Sesame
MULTIMEDIA:
USO Event Photos: http://bit.ly/15OXths
USO/Sesame Tour Schedule as of May 16: http://tinyurl.com/lj6g5tw
USO/Sesame Street Tour photos: http://bit.ly/HtSrLO
USO/Sesame Street Promo Picture: https://uso.box.net/shared/hujhnjttji
SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER WEB SITES:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/the_USO and http://twitter.com/SESAMESTREET
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theUSO and www.facebook.com/SesameStreetForMilitaryFamilies
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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 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, Clear Channel, The Coca-Cola Company, Grand Canyon University, jcpenney, Jeep, Kangaroo Express, Kroger, Lowe’s, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Procter & Gamble and TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Worldwide Strategic Partners: BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation and TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this patriotic mission, and to learn more about the USO, please visit uso.org.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 150 countries, and other acclaimed shows including The Electric Company, to help bridge the literacy gap. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and resilience. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.