September 8, 2004
For Immediate Release

Contact
Shauna Fleming, Founder (714) 282-9415
Email: SFleming@AMillionThanks.org
Chris Murch, President, wsRadio.com (858)623-0199
Email: chris@wsRadio.com
Mr, Gregg Pinick, Principal (714) 998-5151 Ext 602
Email: Pinick@lhsoc.org

Los Angeles The teen that started a national letter writing campaign to collect and distribute 1,000,000 letters and emails of appreciation to our troops, and veteran’s is now asking for donations of used music CD’s and DVD’s for troops stationed here and overseas.

The teenager from Orange, California that began the A Million Thanks national letter campaign five months ago to collect and distribute one million thank you letters and emails to U.S. troops here and abroad, is now within 50,000 letters from her goal.

Shauna Fleming, 15, said that even though mail slowed during the summer months, she has kept her campaign going this summer by having booths at fairs and events to collect letters. She even did live remotes on her wsRadio.com radio show to get people to come out and write thank you letters.

This past weekend, Fleming took here campaign to the NASCAR race at California Speedway in Fontana, California where she was given booth space by the Auto Club to collect notes of thanks from over 200,000 race fans attending the weekend long race events.

“We did really well this past weekend even though the temperature was over 100 degrees. If each fan who attended the race wrote one letter, I would have hit my goal Sunday but it’s hard to reach everyone,” said Fleming. “That’s ok because I know it will happen sometime this month,” she added.

Along with the Auto Club display next to her booth, Fleming recently teamed up with Rousch Racing’s #16 National Guard car driven by Greg Biffle. The National Guard had their display next to Fleming.

“Rousch Racing, owns many cars with drivers like Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and the National Guard car. Rousch has been helping me this whole year along with Sgt John Metzler who is the marketing NCO of the National Guard Racing Team, said Fleming. “I got to meet Jack Rousch on Saturday to thank him. He really appreciates our military in a big way,” she added.

Fleming also had a special treat with a visit by Major General Don C. Morrow, the Adjutant General of Arkansas. General Morrow was attending the race and heard about Fleming’s A Million Thanks booth. General Morrow went over to meet Fleming who was excited to meet the two-star General.

“General Morrow thanked me for what I was doing and I told him it’s the other way around. He just returned from Iraq and said the troops are doing well and enjoy the special letters that come to them. He presented me with a General’s coin that I will cherish,” said Fleming.

The A Million Thanks campaign is currently collecting used music CD’s and movie DVD’s and are sending those over with the letters. Shauna said a soldier who called her from a cell phone in Iraq said the music there was stale so she decided to get them some fresh music.

Shauna said she won’t stop collecting and distributing letters after hitting her one million letter goal. This is because our armed services have 1.4 million troops and she’d like to collect one for every service member, even though it would be impossible to get a letter to every one of them. It will be more of a symbolic gesture she said.

What are her plans for the millionth letter? “I am going to have it specially framed and hope to present it to President Bush as the Commander in Chief. As our military leader he’s the perfect one to receive the millionth thank you letter,” said Fleming.

Shauna Fleming, 15, a freshman at Lutheran High School in Orange, California, and founder of the A Million Thanks organization, has received almost 800,000 letters and emails toward her goal of one million. She recently found that due to the extensions given to many of the troops overseas, that music and movies are needed to help pass the time and for relaxation during breaks in their duties.

High resolution photos pertaining to the above story available at the links below. Photo credit:

Sgt Richard Grimm Army National Guard

Caption:
Shauna Fleming with National Guard car NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle and the Busch Race trophy
http://www.warriorswithwrenches.com/califspeedway/pages/dsc_4770.htm

Caption:
Two-star General Don C. Morrow thanks Shauna Fleming for the letters the troops received from her in Iraq
http://www.warriorswithwrenches.com/califspeedway/pages/dsc_4842.htm

Caption:
Shauna and SFC John Metzler listen to multi NASCAR owner Jack Rousch discuss his appreciaion for our troops
http://www.warriorswithwrenches.com/califspeedway/pages/dsc_4779.htm