The Thank You

I have been overhelmed by the mass amount of generousity that his been poured into this organization over the last 12 months. Friends, along with people I have never met, gladly joined me in this journey to help provide our nation's heroes with a lot of thanks and a little bit of Christmas cheer.

There are so many people that I want to thank, so this is my very feeble attempt to express my gratitude to all of you.  Please know that while I spend hours screening, counting, organizing, etc., NONE of this would be possible without your support. Who knew that we could go from sending just under 1,000 cards to receiving over 10,000 in just a years time? I set my goals high this year, knowing it would take a miracle to achieve them.  Thank you for beleiving in this small dream, and helping to make it become a very large reality.

To our generous donors - Not everyone is able to give, especially this time of year.  Thank you for choosing to donate to The Art of Encouragement. Your money has truly impacted multiple lives this Christmas. I can't beleive  we received  $650 in the last 24 hours of fundraising. What a miracle your generousity has created!
Thank you to our generous and caring donors. We appreciate you!

Harvey Jenkins, Owner of BodyTrends and Aria Orthopedics (OKC) - $500
Cathy and Richard Fuhr - $100
Theta Alpha Omega Fraternity @ SWOSU - $100
Lisa Worrell, Owner of The Enchanted Door (Altus) - $60
Christa Copeland - $50
Dave Scheuermann - $50
Sara Sara Cupcakes (OKC) - $50
Oakdale Schools (Edmond) - $50
Marilyn Morris - $50
Tessa Traxler, Scentsy Consultant (OKC/Norman) - $45
The Qualls Family - $40
Tessa Traxler, Director of Regal Dreams Pageantry - $30
Keith and Margaret Smith - $25
Patricia Liles - $20
Jana Sanborn - $20
Megan Johnson - $20
Nathanael and Diane Hyde - $20
Trudy Swenson - $15
Laura Phillips-Teirnan - $15
Valarie Ornatowski - $10
Taylor Smith - $10

We also had our "CHANGE CHALLENGE" at a few of our card signing parties. We raised another $100, simply in spare change!

Thank you all so much for helping us get all 10,000 of those cards shipped!

As we all know, money is only a small portion of what someone can give. We have also had many generous individuals give "stuff" to help with door prizes at our parties. Others have simply given their time.

Walmart in Weatherford, Oklahoma - Thank you for providing us with  nearly 8,000 cards the day after Christmas. $2200 worth of cards is a huge sacrifice, but you saw a worthy cause and acted. We are so greatful for your generousity.
The South OKC Pageant Board - Thank you for hosting a card signing party, and for providing cookies and drinks! You're the best!
The OKC Pageant Board - The card signing party you hosted was fantastic. 1175 cards in 2 hours! WOW! Thank you for making it beautiful and for inviting so many.
Sara Sara Cupcakes - Thanks for holding a card signing party in your store and selling mini cupcakes to help with fundraising!
Oney Fleming - The jewelry you provided for door prizes was stunning (not to mention a huge hit!) Thank you!
Todd James, owner of Thomsons Creations (OKC) - Thank you for the $25 gift certificate. Every pageant girl needs her rhinestones! Also, many thanks for providing us with a P.O. Box. It takes true talent to juggle all of those boxes coming in so close to Christmas time! Love you!
Harvey Jenkins, owner of BodyTrends (OKC) - Thank you for providing us with gift certificates for candles and lotions. They made fantastic door prizes, and everyone loved them.
Crystal Qualls, owner of CQ Photography (OKC) - Thank you for providing us with a free session. You have done so much and I could never thank you enough. Oh, and I think you may have reached close to 1,000 cards this year too =)
Theta Alpha Omega Fraternity @ SWOSU - Thanks for letting me come to campus TWICE this year and sign cards with you guys.  It's always a blast and I look forward to coming again in the spring
Elsmere Baptist Church - Thank you for coming together as a family and for writing so many Christmas cards! You worked for months to gain 1300+ cards and I can't thank you enough!
Shannon Moon - Thank you for coming over to screen cards and watch Harry Potter  =)
Russell Fuhr - I owe you more than thanks for lugging around all of those 20 gallon containers full of cards! Not to mention your more than thorough card signing capabilities! =) Thank you

To those of you who signed cards this year, there are hundreds of you and I wish I could list each and every one of you individually for your hard work and dedication. You are the backbone to this operation. Without signed cards, we would have no purpose.  Thank you for taking the time out of your day(s) to sit and write a thank you to someone you don't even know. I cannot put into words the overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude I get when I think about each of you sitting somewhere, just pouring your love into a card.
God Bless You!

There are so many people to thank. I wish I could sit down with each of you and share with you my sincere thank you. YOU are the one who makes this possible. Not me, not your neighbor, just YOU.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Ashley Hyde
Founder of The Art of Encouragement

Remember : It's never too late to donate! TAOE works year round to provide our veterans with a small gift of gratitude each Christmas. Just click the button below!