Dear John,

COVID-19 has upended everything—our way of life, our schools, our hospitals, our workplaces and our economy.

One thing has not changed though: the dedication AFT members have to their jobs and to helping their communities. Our educators, healthcare workers, public employees and other professionals have always been my heroes, and they have truly become the real heroes of this pandemic.

That’s why we’re celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, National Nurses Week and Public Service Recognition Week with the “Thank a Hero” sweepstakes.

Teachers turned on a dime to remotely keep their students engaged and safe at home, and at the same time are staging parades past their students’ homes and serenading their classes over Zoom. Public employees are keeping communities safe during the pandemic, keeping essential services running, and doing things like COVID-19 testing and wellness checks. School food service workers and bus drivers are literally a lifeline for students, providing meals so kids don’t go hungry. And then there are our nurses and healthcare professionals who are putting their lives on the line working as caretakers—not just healing patients, but providing bedside comfort that patients’ families can’t provide during the pandemic.

Will you join us in saying “thank you” to our teachers, nurses, and public employees and to supporting local businesses at the same time?

Maybe it is your child’s favorite teacher, or the nurse who cared for you or a loved one. Or maybe it’s a colleague you want to honor. We want to hear all about how teachers, nurses and public employees make a difference every day!

You can nominate a hero of your choice to win a free dinner or books by sending a video, image or message that includes your thanks; or you can nominate yourself by sending a message to your students or community about how you miss them.

Thank a Hero right now by nominating a teacher, nurse or public employee—or nominate yourself!

People go into these professions knowing that they won’t see their name in lights or make a fortune—but knowing that they will make a difference in people’s lives. They do their jobs every day without fanfare or asking for thanks. In ordinary times, we should thank them; in these extraordinary times, there are no words for the depth of our gratitude.

I hope you’ll join us this Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8), National Nurses Week (May 6-12) and Public Service Recognition Week (May 3-9) by entering the Thank a Hero sweepstakes at ww.aft.org/ThankAHero.

In unity,

Randi Weingarten
AFT President