A Million Thanks launches nationwide student ambassador corps

A Million Thanks is opening applications for a new Student Ambassador Corps, inviting students nationwide to lead community projects that support service members, veterans and military families. The program revives the Orange, California-based nonprofit’s youth-led origins as it approaches a Sept. 9 deadline.

Why it matters: - A Million Thanks is using a new youth leadership program to expand its mission and build stronger connections between students and the military community. - The Student Ambassador Corps gives students a chance to develop leadership skills while creating measurable community impact. - The program extends a service model that began as a teenage project in Orange County more than two decades ago.

What happened: - A Million Thanks launched a nationwide Student Ambassador Corps for students across the United States. - Applications are open now, with a Sept. 9, 2026 deadline. - The nonprofit was founded in Orange, California, by Shauna Fleming when she was 15. - The organization started in 2004 as a project to collect 1 million letters of appreciation for deployed service members.

The details: - A Million Thanks has delivered more than 21 million letters over the past two decades. - The nonprofit now serves active-duty service members, veterans and military families. - Student Ambassadors will create projects that connect schools and communities with service members, veterans and military families. - The program is designed to teach students how to organize ideas, bring people together, work with community partners and turn service goals into action. - Participants can build skills in public speaking, project planning, outreach, fundraising, volunteer coordination and teamwork. - A Million Thanks will provide guidance and support during the program. - Students will join a nationwide network of young leaders focused on service. - The program offers participants a tangible record of community impact and national nonprofit experience. - Students are encouraged to apply at the ambassador application page.

Between the lines: - The program reframes volunteer work as leadership training, not just service hours. - A Million Thanks is leaning into its origin story to show that student-led efforts can scale into national impact. - Michele Holley, executive director of A Million Thanks, said students’ age does not limit their ability to lead and that their ideas and willingness to serve can reach far beyond their own communities. - Holley also said the program is meant to help students recognize their capacity to create change while reminding military families that they are seen, valued and remembered.

What's next: - A Million Thanks is urging students, parents, educators and youth leaders to share the opportunity before the Sept. 9 deadline. - Selected participants will begin working on projects that support military communities while building leadership experience. - The nonprofit’s broader mission will continue through letters of appreciation and service-focused community connections.

The bottom line: - A Million Thanks is betting that its next wave of impact will come from students who turn service into leadership and local action into national reach.