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Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is getting into the holiday spirit. She’s encouraging all social media users in the state to get online and let people know what they’re thankful for.
Photo courtesy of Senator Lisa Murkowski
Matthew Felling is the communications director for Senator Lisa Murkowski.
He says this year has been a difficult one for the country, but that shouldn’t take away from the roots of Thanksgiving—being thankful for what we do have.
“It’s sometimes human nature to dwell and get frustrated. In the senate we’ve had a shutdown. We’ve had a senate rules change. There have been better, more upbeat times in Washington D.C. The senator just wants Alaskans to know that she’s focused on the positive. She doesn’t think it’s a bad thing to remind everybody—especially this week—to just vocalize the things that we love about living in Alaska,” says Felling.
That can be anything from being part of a tight-knit community to enjoying the abundant nature and wildlife in the state.
Felling says there are a few ways people can connect with this campaign.
“If you are a friend or a follower on Facebook, you can definitely leave us a note. We post a couple of times per day. We ask people to share what they’re grateful for on Facebook. Otherwise, if you have a Twitter account, you can also just pipe up and say ‘here’s what I’m thankful for’ and use the hastag #AKThanks,” says Felling.
Felling says this social media project is happening in conjunction with a mini-documentary.
He says he hopes it will show a more personal side of Senator Murkowski—off the senate floor.
“Honestly, it was a project that we got into with the Alaska Channel. They sat down with Senator Murkowski for a while. What they ended up putting together and what we saw coming out of it was just a raw appreciation for Alaska, for our people, and for our state. We thought this is an excellent way to kick off the holiday season,” says Felling.
It’s called “Appreciating Alaska,” and is set to air on Tuesday.
