“We’ve just experienced a year plagued by tragedy, discrimination, and hate… but the power of gratitude can help combat our cultural turbulence.”

– Carew Papritz

Being Thankful Shouldn’t Be Limited To A Holiday.

Saying “thank you” is one of the first pieces of etiquette that children learn and a phrase that most people use every day. Still, mumbling a quick “thanks” when someone says “God Bless You” after you sneeze or when someone holds the door for you isn’t always enough to epitomize gratitude.

During this time of year, it’s very common to hear discussions or see posts on social media about the importance of giving thanks. Social activist and award-winning author Carew Papritz has used his platform to give children and adults an opportunity to show gratitude and can provide thoughtful tips we can use to symbolize our appreciation all year long.

Gratitude is a powerful tool for increasing well-being in all sorts of settings. Gratitude costs absolutely nothing to practice and anyone can easily be grateful for their lives. There are all sorts of ways to practice gratitude, and it can be practiced in any setting of daily life, from home to school to work and so on.

“We’ve just experienced a year plagued by tragedy, discrimination, and hate…but the power of gratitude can help combat our cultural turbulence…”

…says Papritz, who is using his platform to spread the message of hope to Americans of all ages. As part of his mission for peace, Papritz has organized an event in his community, “The Biggest Handwritten Thank You Letter,” creating an opportunity for community togetherness that will teach kids about the importance of gratitude, kindness, manners, and civility in their daily lives.

BACKGROUND:
Carew Papritz, along with students in Arizona, created The World’s Largest Thank You Letter as part of celebrating the first “National Thank You Letter Day.” Taking place one week before Thanksgiving, National Thank You Letter Day is to remind us of the simple and powerful act of sending a letter of thanks to someone we care about or love that has affected our lives. Papritz created the letter and the day to teach children—and remind adults—about the timeless importance of saying thank you through handwritten letters. Not only does he want to inspire in children that “Thank You” letters are still important in our culture but that believing in kindness and manners, civility and gratitude, still matter in the world, and that thank you letters are a vital way to communicate these beliefs.

As an activist for peace, Papritz likes to create “teachable moments” that inspire kids for a lifetime. His previous efforts have included student handwritten letters attached to books gathered from schools in three states and then delivered by Carew to children at a school in Havana Cuba to celebrate the new relationship with Cuba and the United States. To help fellow students during Hurricane Harvey, students (with the guidance of Papritz) collected donations of clothes and other needed items and, attaching handwritten letters to the items, sent them to an elementary school in Houston that had been flooded.

For more information, visit here.

In An Interview/Article, Papritz Can Share:

• Why the power of gratitude can help combat our cultural turbulence.
• Practical and actionable tips both children and adults can use to practice gratitude in any setting of daily life, from home to school to work and so on.
• About his event “The World’s Largest Thank You Letter”.