A Small Gesture; A Little Effort Can Go A Long Way To Support A Veteran
Last night while watching TV I saw an advertisement that moved me in a very significant way. It made me feel good inside, like I could make a difference by making a small gesture of gratitude and appreciation for the men and women who serve our country. It was called Greenlight A Vet. www.greenlightavet.com/
The spot is very moving and dramatic. It opens with a man jogging through a neighborhood as you start seeing green porch lights aglow. The VO copy reads, “America’s veterans are some of our nation’s bravest, hardest-working men and women. However, it’s hard to show them the appreciation they deserve when, back home and out of uniform, they’re more camouflaged than ever. Greenlight A Vet is a campaign to establish visible national support for our veterans by changing one light to green.” http://bit.ly/1P8eE2a
Greenlight A Vet is a movement to establish visible national support for veterans by encouraging people to change one light to green in their homes as a symbol of pride and support. It asks all of us to change one light to green in a visible location-on your porch, in your home, or at your office-and keep it glowing every day as a symbol of appreciation and support for our veterans. Then, it asks us to go viral and share our support by taking a picture of the green light and posting it using the hashtag #greenlightavet.
It is supported by Walmart who has made a commitment last year to hire any returning veteran. “By uniting behind a visible symbol, we can ignite a national conversation in our communities about opportunity, success and service for veterans as they take off the uniform,” said retired Brigadier General Gary Profit, Walmart’s senior director of military programs. All Americans are invited to show support for veterans through a visible symbol. Even if we can’t always see our veterans, they should always be able to see our support.”
Walmart is committed to greenlighting veterans, including hiring 250,000 veterans by 2020 through its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment. As part of this effort, Walmart proudly greenlighted the company’s 100,000th veteran hire this past month. Greenlight A Vet is a program that is likely to become as important and viral as last summer’s ALS ice bucket challenge. This is especially so if Walmart’s 1.6 associates back it up with their actions and place green lights in their homes.
I am proud that Walmart is a client and going out of their way to convey this important message. I plan to show my support by putting a greenlight bulb on my porch. I hope you do too.