Thanks USA

Background

In 2006, Bob Okun, a Republican political operative, and his daughters, Rachel and Kelsi, who were both children at the time, founded Thanks USA as a charitable nonprofit organization in Mclean, Virginia after seeing hardships faced by a neighbor who had served in the U.S. Army in Iraq. Initially, the two daughters envisioned the organization as primarily supporting a sort of national “treasure hunt” game based on American history, and in that vein, the organization’s name was originally short for “Treasure Hunt Aiding Needs of Kids and Spouses of those serving the United States of America.” However, the group soon shifted its focus to providing post-secondary school scholarships to the children and spouses of active-duty military personnel. ^{3 4 5}

History

During its active life, Thanks USA awarded need-based scholarships to children and spouses of active-duty military personnel. In 2023, just prior to the organization’s merger with No Greater Sacrifice, a note on the organization’s website claimed that since 2006, it had awarded 5,000 scholarships with a total value greater than $16 million. ^{6 4 7}

Aside from awarding scholarships, Thanks USA also maintained a free online digital treasure hunt game underwritten by the ESA Foundation, through which participants could make donations to the organization. ⁸

In 2016, Thanks USA launched its Pathways for Patriots program, a career development program for family members of military personnel finishing higher education. ⁴

Merger with No Greater Sacrifice

In 2023, Thanks USA featured a note on the homepage of its website announcing that it had merged with No Greater Sacrifice, a nonprofit focused on awarding higher education scholarships to the children of dead and wounded veterans, and that as of September 15 of that year, all donations to Thanks USA would be redirected to No Greater Sacrifice. ^{1 2}

As of January 2026, the Thanks USA website was no longer accessible. ⁹

Funding

Organizations that have provided financial support to Thanks USA include the Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Strada Education Network, Purdue University Global, E-Trade, the Kovner Foundation, Apex Systems, the Centene Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Altria, CVS Health, the Estela Geigel Revocable ​Living Trust, the David Elkins Charitable Foundation Trust, the Pershing Square Foundation, Mizuho, RAZR Solutions, Monster Energy, the Goldie Anna ​Charitable Trust, the C.P.S. Foundation, the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, the Karl M. Johnson Foundation, ​the Peterson Family Foundation, and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. ¹⁰

Leadership

Bob Okun co-founded Thanks USA in 2006 with his daughters, Rachel and Kelsi, who were children at the time, and was the organization’s chairman prior to its merger with No Greater Sacrifice. As of January 2026, he is the CEO of The O Team, a government relations firm specializing in health-care issues, as well as the executive producer of the America Salutes You benefit concert series. Previously, he was the vice president and head of the Washington, D.C. office of NBC Universal, an assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs at the U.S. Department of Education in the George H.W. Bush administration, a floor assistant to former House Republican Leader Rep. Robert Michel (R-IL), the executive director of the Republican Conference, the executive director of the Republican Policy Committee, the executive director of the House Republican Research Committee, and a staff director for the U.S. House of Representatives Task Force on Regulatory Reform. ^{11 12}

Jon Rosa was the president and CEO of Thanks USA prior to the organization’s merger with No Greater Sacrifice. As of January 2026, he is the director of philanthropy at Warrior Rising, a nonprofit organization focused on assisting veterans and their families with business and entrepreneurial opportunities. Previously, Rosa served in the U.S. Navy and worked in leadership positions at organizations including the Fuel Fund, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. ^{13 14}