Check Out the 2019 #Thankful4Pell Campaign Highlights

The sixth annual #Thankful4Pell advocacy campaign is in the books. The 2019 campaign ran Nov. 18-22, and a number of NCAN members and other supporters took to the Interwebs to express appreciation for Pell Grants to the elected officials who make funding decisions about this crucial need-based aid program.

The campaign was social media based this year, and the main goal was to tweet at members of Congress. In all, 118 federal elected officials across 29 states and the District of Columbia were tagged in #Thankful4Pell messages.

We’d like to give a special shout-out to Florida for being far and away the most active state this year. Florida members and partners tagged Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott in 30 #Thankful4Pell tweets.

Two members of Congress – Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) – tweeted using the hashtag.

In a second #Thankful4Pell tweet, Sen. Reed noted that Nov. 22 – the last day of the #Thankful4Pell campaign – would have been Sen. Claiborne Pell's 101st birthday. We couldn't believe this coincidence.

Tomorrow (Nov. 22) would’ve been U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell’s 101st birthday. Please RT if you benefited from a need-based #PellGrant, which helped countless students pay for college & build a brighter future. #thankful4Pell

— Senator Jack Reed (@SenJackReed) November 21, 2019

During the month of November, the #Thankful4Pell hashtag was used 1,575 times (tweets and retweets). On Nov. 20, the day of the #Thankful4Pell Twitter chat, you all used the hashtag a whopping 806 times. Well done, team!

We’ve collected a small sampling (below) of tweets from the campaign. You can scroll through the #Thankful4Pell hashtag on Twitter to see many more messages about Pell Grants and the effect they've had on generations of students.

.@SenShelby I'm #Thankful4Pell because #PellGrants give 60% of Ala. high school grads the opportunity to continue their education after high school.

— Kristina Scott (@kristinarscott) November 18, 2019

All students, regardless of income, deserve an equal opportunity for a college education. The Pell Grant program helps millions of students afford #HigherEd each year. Join us and @collegeacess today to discuss what we can do to protect the promise of Pell. #Thankful4Pell pic.twitter.com/Z9UT9TXIam

— uAspire (@uAspire) November 20, 2019

Here in the Tampa Bay area, we have more than 20 million reasons to be #Thankful4Pell! Share why the Pell Grant is important to you by tweeting our elected officials at https://t.co/obsDI2XMc7.@collegeaccess #highereducation #FAFSA #GivingThanks pic.twitter.com/CSeHGB50TU

— LEAP (@LEAP4college) November 20, 2019

A8: We are #Thankful4Pell because it helps students like Autumn pursue her college degree. @RoyBlunt @AnnLWagner @SenHawleyPress @RepBlaine Increase #PellGrants so students can borrow less pic.twitter.com/R3S6MuBDbI

— SFSTL.ORG (@SFofStL) November 20, 2019

David Mesta is #Thankful4Pell because he's avoiding student debt through the grant program! Thank you for sharing, David, and we are thankful to have you as a LeadMN student! pic.twitter.com/cHideAQTMK

— LeadMN (@iLeadMN) November 21, 2019

Pell Grants have helped millions of students from low-income backgrounds get a college education, and they matter now more than ever. Please continue to empower traditionally underserved students.@CollPossiblePHL is #Thankful4Pell!@SenBobCasey @SenToomey @RepDwightEvans pic.twitter.com/yayJpwxeXO

— College Possible PHL (@CollPossiblePHL) November 21, 2019

Did you know the Pell Grant program helped 466,497 New York students pursue Higher Education in 2017-18? #Thankful4Pell pic.twitter.com/g3Z6x8EVEg

— #DegreesNYC (@DegreesNYC) November 22, 2019

Thank you again to all who took the time to participate in the campaign – your efforts make a difference for current and future students.