May 30
000

Saying “Thank You” to our Troops this Memorial Day

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
Ribbon troops

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     This Memorial Day, take the time to say thank you to our soldiers, especially the ones who are currently fighting in the war and are unable to be home with their friends, families, and loved ones.

     It’s amazing how one little letter can brighten someone’s day. All it takes is a few minutes to tell a soldier “thank you” and “we appreciate all you do or have already done for our country.”

     Even though it’s Memorial Day, we should all make an effort to say thank you to our armed forces more than once or twice a year. The website, amillionthanks.org, aims to do just that. “A Million Thanks is a year-round campaign to show our appreciation for our U.S. Military Men and Women, past and present, for their sacrifices, dedication, and service to our country through our letters, emails, cards, and prayers.”

Picture of graves decorated with flags at Arli...

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     The website states: “We are asking individuals, schools, churches, businesses, and other organizations to write cards, letters, emails, and prayer messages of appreciation for our military, past and present. It is our goal to see that our military – active, reserve, and veterans – receive these messages, whether they are serving at home, abroad, or are injured in hospitals.”

     Thus far, approximately 5,125,000 letters have been delivered.

     If you are interested in participating this Memorial Day or any day after-the-fact, visit amillionthanks.org  to find out how to get the process started. While there, you can also read some of the responses from military personnel thanking everyone for their kind words and support.

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May 25
000

25,000 trees will be planted in honor of the Oprah Show’s 25 Seasons

By Paige Wills in Facts About Deforestation, Why Choose Paper?

 
Harpo Studios, headquarters of talk show host ...

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           May 25, 2011 will mark the end of Oprah’s career as a talk show host for the Oprah Winfrey Show. Many celebrities and stars have stopped by the show to honor and thank Oprah for all she has done, especially for her dedication to education, reading, and books.

           Oprah has been a major supporter of books and book clubs. If a book landed on Oprah’s book club, it was almost always destined for success. According to Oprah’s website, to honor her, Target rebuilt a school library that was devastated. The school was able to rebuild the library, but it sat empty because the school did not have the funding to stock it.

Oak trees, Southampton Common. These trees lin...

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            To honor Oprah’s 25 seasons, Target and the Heart of America Foundation are planning to rebuild 25 school libraries across the country.

             In addition, 25,000 oak trees will be planted in honor of Oprah, including one tree in front of each of the new libraries. Here is a quote from Diane Sawyer on Oprah’s Farewell Show Part 1:

            “Over the years, Oprah has often said that her favorite place to read is under the stately oak trees that surround her Santa Barbara home.”I’ve always thought that maybe the closest Oprah is to heaven is when she’s sitting in one of her big oak trees,” Diane says. “I think I know why you love those trees so much: They start with just a small seed, and then the first shoots and those saplings start to spring up. Then, the tree starts to grow and there it is with the deepest roots and still looking straight up at the sky. The stronger the wind, the stronger that tree standing there on the horizon. And that is like life, and that is like you and that is like The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
            To further honor The Oprah Show’s 25 seasons, Diane tells Oprah that in front of each of the new libraries, a giant tree will be planted. “The Oprah tree,” Diane says. “Standing and inviting every one of those children to bring their books and their hopes and their fears and to know that you are there to embrace them.”

Book photographs

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            This just reinforces the ideal that books are vital to our country’s future success.

            Do you believe Oprah has played a pivotal role in education and the promotion of the importance of books?

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May 23
000

Are Graduates Willing to go Paperless when it comes to Diplomas to be more Environmentally-Conscious?

By Paige Wills in Facts About The Paper Industry

 
Diplomas

Image by lordsutch via Flickr

     With graduation ceremonies just weeks away, many students are anxiously awaiting two things: summer and receiving their diplomas.

     Many companies are going paperless to help protect the environment. This has sparked an interesting question: Would college students be willing to give up paper copies of their diplomas for electronic versions? In an earlier post titled Electronic Diplomas? Noooo Way says College Students!, the author stated most college students consider themselves environmentally-friendly, according to a nationwide poll by Domtar.

     Domtar conducted a survey of 420 college juniors and seniors across the U.S. between April 16 to April 20, 2010 to find the answer to this question. The study found that most college students consider themselves environmentally conscience; however, they believe paper is still essential when it comes to important documents.

     Here are the results of what college students thought about the idea of converting diplomas from paper to electronic copies:

  • 42%  of college students think it’s a terrible idea
  • 27% would be bothered by it
  • 17% were unsure how they would feel
  • 10% could live with the decision
  • 4% love the idea

     Here are some graduation statistics from Hallmark’s website from the National Center for Education Statistics about this year’s graduation expectancy.

     For the 2010-2011 school year:

  • 3,273,000 students are expected to graduate from high school

     Colleges and Universities are expected to award:

  • 798,000 associate’s degrees
  • 1,669,000 bachelor’s degrees
  • 659,000 master’s degrees
  • 96,500 first professional degrees
  • 69,600 doctoral degrees

     As you can see, a lot of students will graduate this school year. I assume most feel the same way I do. I worked too hard and too long for my diploma. I want to be able to hold it in my hands on my graduation day and display it proudly in my future office.

     How do you feel about the idea? Would you trade in your paper version of your diploma for an electronic version to become more environmentally-conscience? Or would you find other ways to help the environment?

     Here is a YouTube videotitled “Paper – Essential for Life’s Big Moments,” which recaps the study.

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May 21
001

The Unexpected Graduation Letter Received in the Mail

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
residential mailbox, United States

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     With graduation in the air, I felt I should share this story about an unexpected letter I received in the mail before my high school graduation.

     Checking the mailbox was a daily event before graduation. Cards were starting to fly in and that usually meant one thing: money. However, one day after school I stopped by the mailbox and as I was sifting through the cards, I found a card with a name I did not recognize. I thought to myself, maybe it’s a cousin I have only met once and would recognize the name once I opened the card.

     Much to my surprise, when I opened the card, the first thing that fell out was a $500 check. I was shocked. This was by far the largest amount I had received and outnumbered all of the other gifts combined.

     I put the check back in the envelope and went inside to tell my mom and ask her who this person was. She had never heard of the name on the return address either. I opened the envelope again and took out the check and handwritten letter. At first I thought, this must have been delivered to the wrong address; however, I looked again and it was my name both on the envelope and the check.

     As I unfolded the papers, I realized it was a two-page, handwritten letter in cursive. As I read, the man identified himself as 80-year-old alumni of my high school. He was an avid newspaper reader and read any and all articles related to my high school. Through his readings, certain students stood out to him for their accomplishments.  In his letter, he said he chose me because of the many accomplishments I had achieved during my high school career, both athletically and academically. It was a very touching and sincere letter. He said this was his little way of giving back to the community and helping out future generations.

     The following day I went into school and told my friends and teachers about the letter. I found out that I was one of five students who received a check and letter. He sent letters and checks to five graduating students each year and I was honored to be one of them.

     I sent him a letter back thanking him for his generosity and thoughtfulness. I did get the chance to meet him briefly at one of the school’s award nights. He presented two additional scholarships to students. I believe he has since passed away; however, its actions like these that really make you appreciate the little things. Hopefully, one day I can pay this action foward to future graduates.

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May 19
000

May Means More than Just Spring Flowers: Graduation Announcements Fill Mailboxes

By Paige Wills in Why Choose Paper?

 
Day 343/365: Graduation Invitation

Image by wenzday01 via Flickr

     Many students graduate in May or early June. Weeks before graduation, graduation announcements, tickets, and invitations fill the mailboxes of many of the graduate’s friends and family.

     Although e-mails and social networking sites are easy ways to create events and notify friends and family about big events, many graduates still send out the old-fashioned paper graduation announcement. These cards symbolize accomplishment and many end up as memorabilia in scrapbooks.

     One can only imagine how many graduation cards are sent and received. According to Hallmark’s corporate website, 75 million graduation cards are given annually. However, this staggering figure does not include the tons of graduation announcements or thank you cards that are sent.

     Hallmark didn’t begin producing graduation cards until the 1920s. You can probably guess what the most popular type of graduation card is. Since money is the most popular graduation gift, money/gift card holder cards are the obvious choice.

     Not only do graduates send cards, many graduates’ mailboxes fill up before or after graduation. However, for me personally, the card box at my graduation party trumped what I received in the mail.

     For many students, these cards usually mean one thing: money or gift cards.  Nothing is more satisfactory than ripping open the paper envelope to discover a check or cash acknowledging all of your hard work and accomplishments. I had a ball opening all of the cards after my graduation party. However, during my senior year of high school, I got the most memorable and unexpected surprise in the mail from a complete stranger. I’ll share this story with you in an upcoming blog.

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