LA JOLLA, Calif (KGTV) - Students at La Jolla Country Day School learned the importance of gratitude as part of "National Say It Now Day" on Tuesday.
The "Say It Now" movement began at the school two years ago and has since expanded to more than 60,000 schools in 83 countries.
"It's always perplexed me why we wait for a person's funeral or celebration of life to stand up and express how that person has mattered to them," says Say It Now founder Walter Green. "It makes no sense, the person never hears it."
Green says it's important to tell people how you feel when you have a chance. Teaching that lesson to kids becomes something they carry throughout their lives.
"It's a very powerful concept," he says. "At the end of the day, one thing that's central to us, no matter what our belief system may be, is that we all want to know that our lives matter. And this is one way we learn that our life has mattered."
As part of the celebration, the students heard from ABC 10News Anchor Jared Aarons, Olympic Skateboarder Amelia Brodka, and YouTube Creator Merrick Hanna. All three shared the importance of gratitude in their journeys.
Since its start, the program has inspired more than 6 million expressions of gratitude. Green hopes to reach 10 million by the end of next year.
For more information about "Say It Now," visitjustsayitnow.org.
