Young McLean Sisters, Founders of ThanksUSA, Stick to Their Ideals

Two McLean sisters, Rachel and Kelsi Okun, were on a family vacation in August 2005, when the idea struck.

Fascinated by the treasure hunts depicted in the book, "A Treasure's Trove," and the movie, "National Treasure", Rachel and Kelsi wondered whether the appeal of treasure hunts could get kids and their parents to support a national goal. Inspired by their neighbor, a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who had been severely injured in Iraq, the goal of the treasure hunt, the girls decided, would be to encourage Americans to "thank" the troops through contributions and activities.

After researching what programs were available to troops and their families, Rachel and Kelsi concentrated on establishing a scholarship program for the children and spouses of American troops. Ultimately, both the treasure hunt and the scholarship program were grouped under the moniker of ThanksUSA, short for "Treasure Hunt Aiding Needs of Kids and Spouses of those serving the United States of America."

At the time, Rachel and Kelsi were 10 and 8 years old, respectively.

Since its inception in 2006, ThanksUSA, a non-profit, non-partisan charitable effort has awarded close to 3,000 scholarships to children and spouses of military forces for college, technical and vocational schools. Totaling more than $7.5 million, the funds come from federal, corporate and private sources. They have helped military families in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Michele Stork, Executive Director of ThanksUSA, was with the organization when it was incorporated in 2005. They had $3.9 million from the federal government, and were hoping they’d get 3,000 applications. Four thousand applications were submitted.

“It was the doubling effect,” Stork says, describing those months fielding the flood of applications as “busy.”

Young, widowed spouses apply. So do empty-nesters who want to go back to school. Most are either enrolled in college or on their way—in either situation, they must have at least a 2.0 grade point average.

All these applicants have one thing in common; “They want to change their circumstances,” says Stork. “We want to help them help themselves.” The charity averages gifts of $1,000 to $5,000 per applicant.

Michelle Spradlin, a wife of a Marine from Sweetwater, Tenn., is a ThanksUSA scholarship recipient. A banker with BB&T, she had a calling to go back to school so she could switch careers. However, the reality of how the family would afford it was sobering. “We have daughters and a home and those things needed to be cared for,” Spradlin says. “It was a financial burden.”

She describes being “thankful” and “humble” when she got the news of her $6,000 ThanksUSA scholarship. Now, she is studying elementary school education, and plans to teach in the public school system.

“It is very challenging sometimes to be a military family when you have a loved one deployed,” she says. “When my husband is deployed, it is a day-to-day worry if he is going to be alive tomorrow. I am very thankful for the program and to be able to participate in it.”

The lifeblood of ThanksUSA is clearly the Okun family, especially Rachel, who is about to begin her sophomore year at National Cathedral School, and Kelsi, who is a rising eighth grader at Longfellow. “They work tirelessly,” Stork says about the girls. “They are not stopping.”

Like the military families who they are trying to help, Stork says that the girls have “given up a lot” to do what is right.

The girls see their involvement with ThanksUSA as nothing but enriching. Describing their journey, the words “incredible,” “amazing,” and “rewarding,” fill their side of the conversation. There doesn’t seem to be a demarcation between their “regular” lives as teenagers and their work with a prominent, service-oriented charity.

“ThanksUSA is a way of life,” Rachel says.

“Service shouldn’t be something you do for two hours every other day,” Kelsi adds. “It should be a part of your life because you have a passion and a love for it. Not because you want to accomplish X, Y and Z.”

Bob McDonnell, Governor of Virginia, attended a ThanksUSA fundraiser in McLean this past March. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) have both done Public Service Announcements for ThanksUSA.

Kelsi and Rachel have been on NBC’s Today Show three times, most recently in May. Speaking about the experience, the girls do not dwell on what Ann Curry was like in real life, or which celebrity they met backstage. Instead, they enthusiastically speak about how “incredible” it was to represent ThanksUSA on national television, and how they hoped many military families were watching and learning about the scholarship fund.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Rachel says.

ThanksUSA has also landed a notable spokesman—Golden State Warriors basketball star Stephen Curry. “The ability to partner with an organization like ThanksUSA that supports our troops and promotes educational values was inspiring to me,” says Curry. “I am eager to help raise money and awareness for the men, women and their families who do so much to protect our country.  They deserve our help and I am excited to do my part.”

The NBA athlete is currently taking ThanksUSA’s message to people across the country through Public Service Announcements and community outreach. He is also promoting the charity in more personal ways—he and his fiancé have asked their wedding guests to donate to ThanksUSA in lieu of presents.

From Ann Curry to Stephen Curry, the girls have met powerful people in high places. Still, the ThanksUSA family is just that—family—and the girls save the highest praise for their parents, Robert and Deanna Okun. “When we said, ‘can we start a treasure hunt to benefit the troops?’ they could have said, ‘No way,” Rachel says. “Its incredible to work with people you love to benefit others.” 

“We talk heart-to-heart,” Kelsi says. “Not ego-to-ego. If you want to see the definition of success, our parents are the epitome of it.”

Robert Okun is the Vice President of NBC, Washington. Before that, he served as the Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the U. S. Department of Education and was Floor Assistant to former House Republican Leader, Robert Michel. Deanna Okun is the Chairman of the United States International Trade Commission.

With two parents fully immersed in the politicized sphere of Washington, D.C., the girls developed a worldview that takes the only the loftiest of political principles and combines them with a quintessentially American belief—that it is possible to affect positive change from a grassroots level.

“Success doesn’t come through fundraisers,” Rachel says. “It comes from relationships. That’s how you change the world—one heart at a time.”

It is a perspective that will seemingly accompany them through school and into the future.

“You change the world by affecting the people within your area of influence,” Rachel says. “Any job where I can do that is ideal.”

“It’s always been a dream of mine to make change,” Kelsi says. “ThanksUSA has taught me some lessons that will stick with me forever.”