May 16^th, 2006
For Immediate Release

Contact
Contact:Shauna Fleming, Student
(714) 282-9415 Email: SFleming@AMillionThanks.org
Suzie Vernetti
Boyds Bear Country
(888) 654-6215 x3277 or
Rich Scotti (717) 633-9898 x2783
r_scotti@boydsstuff.com

Boyds Bear Country, the worlds largest teddy bear company located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is teaming up with a 17 year old high school student’s efforts to reach her goal of sending 2.6 million thank you letters to U.S. troops by Memorial Day.

Shauna Fleming, founder of A Million Thanks, an organization she started at her high school in Orange, California two years ago, is only 300,000 thank you letters short of her goal of sending one thank you to every person serving in the U.S. Armed Forces which totals 2.6 million.

“I only need about 300,000 more thank you letters to reach my goal, and Boyd’s Bear Country offered to help me. I am traveling to their huge retail store in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for their Armed Forces Day celebration May 20th to hopefully collect 20,000 more letters,” said Fleming.

Anyone who brings or sends a letter of thanks and support for the troops to Boyds Bear Country will be given a free Boyds Bear! A Million Thanks will see that the letters collected are sent directly to troops not only in the war zone but to U.S. military bases all over the world.

“May is National Military Appreciation Month and I really want to reach my goal but I will need a lot of letters from Americans the next two weeks”, Fleming added.

Editors note: Downloadable, high resolution photo supporting this story is available Here. For interviews with Shauna, phone (714) 381-5652