Treasure Hunt 2009

Welcome to ThanksUSA's fourth American history treasure hunt designed to celebrate America's values and to promote scholarships for the kids and spouses of the military. That is, welcome to Treasure Hunt Four (TH4). For newcomers to our effort, ThanksUSA stands for Treasure Hunt Aiding Needs of Kids and Spouses of those serving the United States of America. ThanksUSA began as the "brainblast" of two Virginia schoolgirls in 2005 as a non-partisan, charitable effort to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" our active-duty troops by providing college, technical, and vocational school scholarships to their spouses and dependents.

Treasure Hunt Four is Free ... although we hope you will make a donation to the scholarship fund for the families of our brave men and women in uniform who protect our freedoms each and every day. You can make a contribution at www.ThanksUSA.org using a secure system that protects your financial data and your privacy, or you can call 1-888-thx-usa09 (1-888-849-8720). Every contribution counts. Send your contribution to:

ThanksUSA Clues
1390 Chain Bridge Road, #260
McLean, VA 22101

This Year's Theme: State, Military Service and ThanksUSA Treasures

This year's treasure hunt focuses on the fascinating histories of Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota Oregon, and Rhode Island along with the histories of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps and the history of ThanksUSA.We will tease you, bend your mind and coax you through crosswords, wordokus, word searches, kakuros, anagrams and more as you seek to find the key at the end of each chapter to unlock that chapter's treasure chest. We encourage students, families and individuals to jump into the chapters and learn important historical facts and concepts in a fun but challenging way in hopes of winning this year's fabulous educational and technological prizes. The clues and puzzles were generated by several teachers and supporters of ThanksUSA, including two of our past treasure hunt winners and one of our scholarship recipients!

Play online now. But, for those who prefer using a pencil, complete the registration process and download a hard copy. Or send $7.50 for a copy to be mailed to you.

TH4 begins Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008, and ends August 15, 2009. This time period allows individuals, families, teachers and other instructors to use this both in the classroom and as a summer activity. Instructors, parents and students can be assured that this is a reliable supplement for learning American history and social studies while also helping families of the troops achieve their educational goals.

Everyone who submits a correct final answer to at least one of the chapters will be eligible for this year's prizes. For more information about the prizes, go to www.ThanksUSA.org.

Please refer to the "Keys to Joining the Hunt" section for more specific instructions. You should also refer to the "Official Rules," found at the end of the book and on the website.