Respect and Appreciation Overwhelming for Those Who Served and Sacrificed

Contact: Matthew Faraci, Generation Opportunity, 202-997-1636

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Generation Opportunity's recent "Valentines for Vets" initiative resulted in an outpouring of thousands of notes to veterans receiving care in military hospitals as well as those in military retirement facilities throughout the United States. The online effort, launched in February of 2012, allowed people to create personal expressions of support and appreciation for veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
 
Generation Opportunity provided the valentines to thousands of veterans in military hospitals and retirement facilities across the country during the week of Valentine's Day.
 
"The 'Valentines for Vets' initiative gave thousands of people from across the country an opportunity to say thank you to those who have selflessly served our country and protected our freedoms, including those recovering in military hospitals. The expressions of gratitude were profoundly genuine -- I was deeply touched by those messages I had the opportunity to read as they poured in from all over the country. As the brother of two active duty U.S. Marines, I know those who serve greatly appreciate when their service is recognized and respected by their fellow citizens," said Owen Philips, Director of Online Strategic Initiatives at Generation Opportunity.
 
National and local media, as well as bloggers, played a major role in the success of the initiative as they highlighted the effort in news stories, links, websites, and blogs.
 
The Generation Opportunity team delivered the messages to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces at multiple facilities serving veterans, including:

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Washington, DC),
   
• Armed Forces Retirement Home (Gulfport, MS),
   
• Veterans in Partnership (VISN) 11 Healthcare Network (Ann Arbor, MI),
   
• Miami VA Healthcare System (Miami, FL),
   
• VA Southwest Health Care Network (Mesa, AZ),
   
• Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center (Columbus, OH), and
   
• Maine VA Medical Center (Augusta, ME).

Generation Opportunity has many current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving or living overseas as fans on its pages "Being American by GO" and "The Constitution by GO." The organization will continue to recognize and support those who have taken time from their families and communities to defend freedom and liberty around the globe.

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY
Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c)(4) organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, to early career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers, construction workers, current service men and women, veterans, entrepreneurs, and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.

Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced social media tactics with proven field tactics to reach Americans 18-29. The organization’s social media platforms -- "Being American by GO" on Facebook and "The Constitution by GO” on Facebook -- have amassed a total fan base of more than 2.4 million. Both pages post links to relevant articles and reports from sources ranging from the federal General Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation.

Read about Generation Opportunity here; visit "Being American by GO" on Facebook here and "The Constitution by GO" on Facebook here.

For our Spanish-language page -- Generación Oportunidad -- click here.