The 2010 version of ConGRADulations!, created each January by interlinc, includes Skillet, Relient K, tobyMac, Lecrae, Flyleaf, #1 selling iTunes pop sensation Owl City, and many others. Financial advisor and Fox Business News contributor Dave Ramsey, authors Francis Chan and Robert Lewis, and Discovery Institute founder Steven Meyer offer their advice to this year’s graduates.
“We believe that this is much more than a gift,” said Allen Weed, president of interlínc. It serves as a tool to celebrate an important life milestone and to provide a lifeline as grads move into this pivotal transition.”
Along with the music CD, the set contains a 48-page graphic gift book with artist song lyrics and quotes from featured graduates. The DVD contains video testimonies from fellow 2010 graduates and also features “What I’ve Learned” videos from graduates of previous years, including Hawaiian surfer Bethany Hamilton, who offer real, road-tested advice. The resource Web site, grad2010.com, offers grad book excerpts, online devotionals, links to top college and young adult ministries and a year-in-review video. Also in the 2010 version is a customizable gift package for inclusion of personal notes and gift cards.
“This project is timelier than ever. A recent Pew study on religion shows that 25 percent of young people aged 18-29 are unaffiliated with a religious group compared with an average of about 16 percent of all other adults,” said Weed. “The Class of 2010 needs guidance through this transition. We know that their music and media will go with them when they leave their parents and their youth group.”
With over 1 million copies given to grads by 25,000 churches, ConGRADulations! is a leading gift choice for graduates in this new millennium. Since 1990, this annual graduation gift has used the language of the era to speak to graduates about life’s important choices. At that time, it was simply music on an audio cassette. Now, it has expanded into a music CD, a DVD, and a gift book, as well as the online component.
“Technology is the primary means of communication for the YouTube, Facebook generation,” continues Weed. “We are utilizing music, videos and the Web to encourage them to make wise choices for the future.”
