Jericho Fans Mobilize to Support Deployed Troops

Thank-you messages from Jericho execs to accompany DVD shipment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

There’s more to fans of the serial post-apocalyptic show Jericho than shipments of nuts. They’re also good for hundreds of DVDs being shipped to deployed service men and women who need a little entertainment and relief while serving their tours of duty in harm’s way. It is just the latest in Jericho fans’ continuous drive for humanitarian efforts via the Internet, while they also forge ahead in the quest for a new home for their canceled show and a more accurate ratings system to measure TV viewership.

On the heels of a successful DVD campaign that garnered more than 100 Jericho Season 1 DVDs for members of the military over the last Christmas holiday season, Jericho fans -- intent on reminding our brave soldiers that they are never far from their hearts or minds -- have come together in the second leg of their efforts to double their first-time total. With $5,380 in donations gathered through an Amazon.com gift wish program, Jericho fans, or Rangers, as they are often called, wrapped up the DVDs for the Troops 2 campaign last week with 219 Jericho Season 2 DVDs. They will be shipped directly to the troops from the Staten Island Project Homefront (SIPH), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting U.S. troops with frequently requested items such as snacks, CDs, books, and personal items.

As with the first effort, the DVDs will be accompanied by messages of support from Jericho fans all over the country. As a special additional treat, each DVD also will include words of encouragement and gratitude from writers and producers of Jericho. They’ll hear messages, such as Co-Executive Producer Dan Shotz’s: “Jericho, at its core, is a show about hope. You guys define hope. Thank you for all you do,” or from Executive Producer Jon Turteltaub (“National Treasure,” National Treasure: Book of Secrets”): “You’re an inspiration to all of us.”

Of the 219 total Season 2 DVDs, 21 of them came from a middle school classroom in Boca Raton, Florida, where teacher Susan Oyer challenged her students to help make a difference. Through money earned by doing chores and hunting for spare change on schoolroom floors, they raised nearly $450 for the cause. The Jericho4Kids site (www.Jericho4Kids.com), created for and by young Jericho fans, raised $267 for the effort, and an auction of show memorabilia obtained and donated by Jericho on-set dresser Mike Loomer produced an additional $975 for the campaign.

Beyond the DVDs for the Troops effort, Jericho fans have made an impact with other humanitarian fundraising efforts as well, including:

- A $20,667 donation in 2007, with the assistance of www.Nutsonline.com, to Greensburg, KS to aid in a massive rebuilding effort following a catastrophic F5 tornado;

- A charity auction at Jerichon, the annual convention hosted by www.guardiansofjericho.com that produced nearly $4,000 for Greensburg and VFW efforts;

- Ongoing care package shipments of toiletries, games, books, DVDs, etc. to a designated military contact and Jericho fan on behalf of other troops serving in Iraq;

- The current Spreading the Nutty Love campaign, in which nearly $1,080 worth of peanut butter (378 jars) and other food essentials are being donated to the Kansas Food Bank (in a state especially hard-hit by tornadoes); and,

- Various smaller efforts on behalf of individual Jericho fans who suffered various medical and/or financial difficulties.

It is estimated that Jericho Rangers have raised at least $32,000 total in the past year for philanthropic endeavors, though the figure is probably much higher.

If you would like more information about DVDs for the Troops and plans for further expansion of those efforts, please visit www.jerichorangers4ourtroops.com.