HISTORY(R) LAUNCHES 7th ANNUAL MULTI-PLATFORM CAMPAIGN TO HONOR AMERICA'S VETERANS
HISTORY Announces Return of Award-Winning Initiatives "Take a Veteran to School Day" and "Thank a Veteran at Work Day" and NEW Program Elements:
#THANKAVET Tweet Campaign and Team Rubicon Partnership
HISTORY Announces NEW Public Service Announcement Featuring
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden
New York, NY (November 8, 2013) - Few Americans are aware that only 1% of our citizens serve in the Armed Forces. It's time for 100% of the remaining 99% to say thank you and learn more about the veterans who continue to give back through service. With Veterans Day fast approaching, HISTORY? announces a continuation of "Mission to Honor," its nationwide, multi-platform public affairs campaign dedicated to recognizing American veterans. Expanding each year, "Mission to Honor" in 2013 will be the Network's biggest year yet, with high visibility on-air, online, in schools, in businesses and local communities. HISTORY will continue past successes, like Take A Veteran to School Day and Thank A Veteran At Work Day, which will incorporate a new PSA from First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. Also new to "Mission to Honor" in 2013 will be HISTORY's partnership with Team Rubicon, a veterans service group, and an enhanced #THANKAVET social media campaign.
"HISTORY's core outreach mission of making history relevant and meaningful goes together with honoring those who fought to guarantee our freedom," said Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian and Senior Vice President of Corporate Outreach at HISTORY. "Watching this campaign grow over the years has been exciting for all of us. Every year has set new records for participation and we are committed to using all of our resources to ensure that 2013 is no exception."
"Mission to Honor" has already drawn wide public participation, thanks to on-screen support from notable leaders like Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as Actor Bradley Cooper, and Major League baseball player Johnny Damon. More than 10,000 schools have participated in Take A Veteran to School Day and 700 corporations have joined-on to Thank A Veteran at Work Day. By increasing social media outreach through #THANKAVET, HISTORY looks forward to reaching more Americans than ever in 2013.
Also new this year is HISTORY's partnership with Team Rubicon (teamrubiconusa.org), a veterans service organization that deploys veteran volunteers to disaster areas for emergency assistance. Team Rubicon seeks to provide our veterans with three things they lose after leaving the military: purpose, gained through disaster relief; community, built by serving with others; and self-worth, from recognizing the impact one individual can make. Past deployments include Hurricane Sandy relief in New York and New Jersey, tornado recovery in Oklahoma, and medical operations in Haiti. To raise awareness and support Team Rubicon's essential mission to help both returning veterans and communities across our country, HISTORY produced two Team Rubicon specific PSAs and will donate $1 (up to $50,000.00) to Team Rubicon and America's VetDogs for every "#THANKAVET" tweet (kicking off November 1, 2013).
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"Team Rubicon is thrilled to be in partnership with HISTORY," said William McNulty, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Team Rubicon. "HISTORY and Veterans.com are always searching for new ways to support our veterans and we're thankful that they believe in our mission to provide opportunities for our veterans to continue their service through disaster relief."
"Mission to Honor" Campaign Highlights in 2013 will include:
7th Annual Take A Veteran to School Day
Launched in 2007, Take A Veteran to School Day connects K-12 students to those who served and the historic events they participated in. Working closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Take A Veteran to School is a cornerstone of the "Mission to Honor" Campaign. HISTORY provides How-To guides, sample agendas and curriculum for schools to connect this program with classroom and after-school activities. These materials are in thousands of classrooms nationwide and are available at Veterans.com. In 2013, HISTORY has joined with Got Your 6 to bring additional educational tips and resources to teachers and students nationwide. This year, numerous elected officials are participating in Take a Veteran to School events throughout the country.
PSA Featuring the First and Second Ladies
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden have filmed a PSA for Take A Veteran to School Day. This video will be shown in over 5,500 schools in all 50 states, and will be featured on Veterans.com and all of HISTORY's social media platforms. The PSA continues the White House's support for the "Mission to Honor" Campaign, which has included a 2011 "Hire A Veteran" PSA by Vice President Joe Biden and a 2010 "Thank A Veteran" PSA by the First Lady and Dr. Biden. For more information on their efforts, visit www.joiningforces.gov.
Thank A Veteran at Work Day
Over 700 corporations have participated in Thank A Veteran at Work Day to recognize the service of work colleagues. HISTORY provides "Thank You Veterans" stickers, posters created with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and a How-To Guide with simple tips for thanking veterans in our workplaces, all completely underwritten by HISTORY. Important corporate partners include American Airlines and cable companies nationwide, including associations such as the Texas Cable Association.
Veterans.com
HISTORY's dedicated website, Veterans.com, provides guidelines and free resources, including short videos about the importance of Veterans Day, examples of veterans who have served and are still serving their communities, and information about HISTORY's non-profit partners.
Partnership with Team Rubicon
HISTORY filmed and produced two PSAs highlighting partner organization Team Rubicon, a veterans service organization that provides disaster relief. Debuting in November, the PSAs were filmed in Lyons, CO, following the devastating floods that affected surrounding communities. HISTORY will use its online and on-air resources to build awareness for Team Rubicon as well as providing monetary support through the #THANKAVET campaign.
#THANKAVET
HISTORY launched a social campaign to honor veterans by encouraging everyday Americans to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to #THANKAVET online. HISTORY will donate $1 to Team Rubicon and America's VetDogs for each #THANKAVET post this Veterans Day season.
Thank A Veteran On-Air Interstitials with HISTORY Talent
During the week leading up to and on Veterans Day, HISTORY will air interstitials featuring on-air talent from Swamp People, American Pickers, Counting Cars, Mountain Men, and American Restoration reminding all Americans to thank those who have served.
HISTORY is honored to again recognize American veterans for their bravery and sacrifice and is committed to making 2013's "Mission to Honor" the most successful yet. For a full schedule of events, supporting materials, and information on how your school, office, or Twitter feed can assist in honoring American veterans, please visit Veterans.com.
About HISTORY(R)
HISTORY, now reaching more than 98 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network's all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hit series including American Pickers(R), American Restoration(TM), Ax Men(TM), Counting Cars(TM), Ice Road Truckers(R), Pawn Stars(R), Swamp People(R) and Top Shot(R) as well as HISTORY(R)'s first scripted series Vikings, and epic miniseries and special programming such as The Bible and the Emmy(R) Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us(R) and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY(R) website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY(R)'s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com.
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