Thank you, just thank you.

Kevin Tuerff gave all 108 of us a challenging brief that asked for an integrated social and marketing campaign that would get people to look up from their cell phones. At the same time, we needed to find a way to incorporate the giving spirit shown in Gander, Newfoundland when 38 planes full of stranded passengers landed there on September 11, 2001. Three of my peers and I formed a team to take on the brief, creating a project that we call Spirit of Gander. The process of finding the answer, presenting it, and seeing Come From Away changed me.

I had just turned 5 years old (September 10th) when 9/11 happened. I don’t recall much from that day, but I do remember my mom picking me up early from kindergarten. She had to pick me up because my father was on lockdown at Moffett Airbase where he had to prepare to follow whatever orders he received in response to the attacks. Following 9/11, he was sent to the middle east for months at a time, multiple times. That was my story from 9/11.

Working on the Spirit of Gander allowed me to hear others’ stories, and stories from those who received kindness from strangers in Gander. We spoke with Kevin, whose plane was redirected to Gander. We also talked with Mac, a man who lives in Gander, and Maureen, a woman who was on the same plane as Kevin Tuerff, who now lives in New Jersey. Their insights and experiences were powerful and helped us make our campaign more human.

We worked for hours to figure out the logistics of our campaign and to make sure that we would reach our audience, high schoolers, in a meaningful and impactful way. We had help from our amazing advertising professors and people outside of the SOJC.

I talked with several friends and family members about this project and incorporated their feedback into our work. It felt great talking to my dad about this project, and hearing him say that it was a meaningful, well thought-out project. I became attached to this cause and I can’t wait to see it enfold in real life.

Kevin chose to use our campaign and we received four tickets to see Come From Away on Broadway. It’s not an understatement when I say that Come From Away is the best show that I’ve ever seen. We laughed, cried, and reminisced repeatedly throughout the performance.

My team and I will thank Kevin Tuerff a hundred times for the opportunities he’s given us. I’m so happy that we created something that hit his heart, and that will hopefully hit the hearts of millions in the future. Thank you, Kevin, for everything.

Emily Foster.

05.14.17