Celebrate Professionals: May I Thank You For Your Service?
30 April 2010
Author: Holly Craft
Who doesn’t like to hear the words “Thank You”? There are people around us that have devoted their lives to work in professions of service such as nursing, teaching, and law enforcement. There are small things you can make to show your appreciation for their work in the community. Did you know that there are designated days when we can celebrate professionals in our lives?
Below is a list of Professional Appreciation Days for the month of May:
(Note: These dates are for 2010, but generally the celebrations will be around the same time each year)
- 5/4: National Teacher’s Day
- 5/6 – 5/12: Nurses Week
- 5/6: National Nurses Day
- 5/12: National School Nurse Day
- 5/12: National Receptionists Day
- 5/15: Armed Forces Day
- 5/9 – 5/15 Police Week
- 5/15: Police Officer’s Memorial Day
- 5/16 – 5/22: National Emergency Medical Services Week
Professional Thank You Cards:
The simplest project that fits any profession, but still makes a big impact is a thank you card.
Cards can be different sizes or shapes depending on the professional you’re thanking.
If you would really like to thank a community leader, perhaps a group can get together and create a “Thank You!” scrapbook. This type of project includes scrapbook pages made by many individuals then collected into one album that shows the community appreciates the leaders.
Outfitting Your Cards:
For inspiration on your decorative elements, why not start with the objects or articles of clothing that are associated with the profession of the person you are thanking. Look for stickers, stamps and paper that will represent these objects or clothing items. Some examples are:
- Teachers – apples, books, pencils, chalkboard, bell
- Nurses – old fashioned nurses caps, scrubs, hospital gowns, stethoscope, pill bottles
- Receptionist – old fashioned phone, steno pad, post it notes, ink pen, typewriter or computer
- Military – boots, hats, ships, tanks, planes, medals
- Police – hat, uniform, blue lights, car, badge
- EMS – ambulance, gurney, stethoscope, fire truck, uniforms
Try using professional clothing items as shapes for your card base. In this
example the card is cut into the shape of a nurse’s scrubs.
To achieve this look, you simply sketch your
template on copy paper and cut to use for your projects.
If you’re stuck for a template, use an internet
search for images to find an icon you can trace for a basic shape.
Remember, if the object is symmetrical, simply fold your template in
half to create an identical shape for each half. Create a file on your
computer to keep your patterns for future use. May comes every year!
Punny Card Phrases:
You may also want to think of clever sayings to be used on your cards or gifts.
Punny phrases such as “Hats off to you!” can be used for many professions where a uniform hat is worn, such as a firefighter or policeman.
Say Thanks with Food:
You can also include some edible items along with your papercrafted “thank you”.
If you’re a baker, make some delicious food related items such as cookies so that everyone can eat and enjoy! (It would be nice to also put the ingredients of the baked goods in the package in case anyone has any allergies!)
Or travel down the candy aisle at your local grocery or drug store and collect some candies to use in your gifts. Candy can be a great gift idea if you combine it with a fun theme, clever phrase or complimentary color palette. For a teacher, choose candies, like M&Ms with the school colors. Take a walk down the grocery store aisle and be inspired by the types and brand names of candies, mints and chocolates.
Here is a list to get you inspired:
• Lifesavers – “you are a lifesaver to me!”
• Hugs and Kisses – “Hugs and Kisses to you for all your service!”
• Payday – “Wish I could pay you what you are worth!”
• Mints – “You will never know what your service has “mint” to me!
• Treasures – “You are a true treasure…thank you for your service!”
It's All in the Presentation:
To present your gift, craft a cute bag topper that features the recipient’s profession. Here is an example of a nurses hat bag topper I created.
Other Gift Sources:
There are many gifts in office supply stores that will be appreciated by professionals. You can add a monogram to note cards to make them personal. Gift cards to restaurants or other stores are always welcome and are items that are easy to place in the handmade card you create.
While May does hold some designated days in order to celebrate professionals in your life, remember, these dates are just suggestions as a reminder that you can say “thank you” any time during the year to any professional that touches your life! Simple gestures, like a thank you card or baked good go a long way to show your appreciation to professionals in your community!