11/05/2012 (press release: NancyCook) // Newbury, Ohio, USA // Nancy Cook
Imagine an election where the voters respectfully listen to opposing views, discuss differences through polite and civil discourse, and critically dissect the mounds of partisan messages bombarding them on television and through the Internet. Vitriol of any kind is taboo and after a heated political debate, the adversaries might sit down for milk and cookies, or gather outside for a pick up game of dodgeball.
On Tuesday, this imaginary election will become a reality for two million schoolchildren across the United States. As participants in Kids Voting USA’s year-long program emphasizing deliberative democracy—where students learn to formulate and express their own political opinions, while inviting those with opposing opinions to do the same—the pint-sized patriots will proudly cast their votes for President of the United States.
While the votes of K-12 students from dozens of states around the country won’t determine the outcome of the 2012 elections, Kids Voting USA says that their program will stick with kids for many years to come, leading to long-term civic engagement and participation in the political process. In other words, these kids are likely to become life-long voters. And that is something workplace fashion ID makers BooJee Beads wanted to support.
“When I first heard about Kids Voting USA I knew it was something our company wanted to involve ourselves with,” says BooJee Beads co-founder Kimberly Martinez. “My partner Lisa Harrington and I are mothers of 5 school-age children and we were thrilled to find that there is a program that encourages children to take politics seriously, to think critically, and to dedicated themselves to becoming part of the solution by participating in the process.”
To help support programs such as Kids Voting USA’s Double Click Democracy (DCD), an online voting system for schoolchildren, BooJee Beads donated political style beaded lanyards with a retail value of $85,000. The lanyards are being offered for sale by the Kansas Newspaper Foundation and 100% of the proceeds go to the benefit of Kids Voting USA.
“Teachers are a huge part of our customer base- they tell us all the time that they love to wear BooJeeBeads to display their teacher ID’s and classroom keys with style!” Harrington says. “We are always looking for ways to support our customers and we could not pass up this opportunity to help out this great organization that is such a outstanding resource for teachers throughout the country.”
Kids Voting USA will be releasing its presidential election results sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
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About BooJee Beads:
BooJee Beads produces a standout line of fashion ID jewelry and accessories. A favorite of working women with a sense of style, BooJee’s creations include beaded lanyards, ribbon lanyards and retractable badge reel jewelry. With a huge fan base of women who work in the medical, education, transportation, and government sectors, BooJee collections can be found at more than 4,000 retail partners throughout the US and Canada, as well as online at www.BooJeeBeads.com.
About Kids Voting USA:
Kids Voting USA is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to secure the future of democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged citizens. KVUSA operates through a national network of community-based affiliates that partner with schools and election officials to offer more than four million K-12 students a wide range of opportunities for civic learning. For more information, visit www.kidsvotingusa.org.
Social Media Tags:presidential election, kids voting, vote, 2012 election, teachers, lanyards, boojeebeads, politics
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