Ali Spizman: The Thank-You Kid

How important is it to say “thank you?” Important enough that Ali Spizman, age 15, wrote an entire book about it when she was an eighth grade student at the Epstein Jewish Day School in Atlanta, Georgia. The Thank You Book for Kids gives dozens of tips on how to say thank you, including ideas on how to thank friends, family, community leaders, and even famous people. “Every day can be a day you give thanks,” Ali writes. “In fact, saying thank you is a way to count your blessings in life.”

Her idea is not new; for centuries, Judaism has taught about the importance of hakarat hatov (recognizing and appreciating the good things that other people do). But the energy and creativity that Ali brings to her mission is incredible. For example, she recognized how important it was to thank the professionals and volunteers who work tirelessly in hospitals and homeless shelters. She responded by inaugurating The Thank You Kids Campaign. The campaign provides blank cards at hospitals and shelters, giving everybody the opportunity to fill out a card and say thanks.

Ali got into the habit of saying thank you when she was four years old. Her mother formed an imaginary company called the Thank You Company, and gave Ali the title of Chief Executive Officer. “Whenever someone did something polite or said thank you,” says Ali, “I would say, ‘Mom, she’s hired!’”

Ali really started appreciating the value of gratitude when she was required to write over 300 thank-you cards after becoming a bat mitzvah. She completed the task in a month and a half. “People told me how much it meant to them to read my thank-you notes,” she remembers. “So later, I wanted to inspire kids to say thank you.”

How do you get started? First, says Ali, realize how much a word of thanks is appreciated. If you receive any gift, it’s important to express how much it means to you. “Emphasize it,” she advises. “Say, ‘Thank you, it’s so awesome, it means so much to me.’ It makes people feel so good to hear that.”

But what if you receive a present that you really hate? Ali suggests talking more about the person who gave the gift than the gift itself. “Say you got a CD that you really hate,” she says. “Write, ‘Thank you for the CD. You mean so much to me, and you’re so important in my life.’”

Ali points out that thank-you notes are appropriate and appreciated even when there are no gifts. In her book, she suggests ways to thank teachers for educating, doctors for healing, and even the postman for delivering the mail. Ali notes that every day there are lots of opportunities to thank others, and once you get started, it’s easy to keep going.

“You should see my friends,” says Ali. “They all say thank you around the clock.”