MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Social media is coming together to get a famous talk-show host’s attention.
If you’ve been around Myrtle Beach for a while, you’ve probably heard the name, Savannah Thompson. The 22-year-old has Williams Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes mental and physical disabilities. An all-inclusive park – Savannah’s Playground in Market Common – was named in honor of Thompson in 2016.
Thompson calls Ellen DeGeneres her “role model,” and being an avid fan, she watches the Ellen Show every day. With the help of her nanny, Thompson wrote the talk-show host, DeGeneres, on her Facebook page asking for the opportunity to meet her idol.
After seeing Savannah’s Facebook post, Coastal Carolina University’s Chief of Staff, Travis Overton says he knew he had to do what he could to help get the word out to DeGeneres.
“Knowing Savannah and knowing how much people just love being able to see her on campus, I was determined at that point to use my own, personal social media account to help get the word out there about Ellen meeting Savannah,” Overton said.
Overton then tweeted DeGeneres in support of Thompson, and the Coastal Carolina Community, also known as Teal Nation, soon joined Overton’s efforts to get the talk-show host’s attention.
“My hope is that more people see it and more people retweet it so that Ellen DeGeneres has no choice but to decide that Savannah has to be on her show,” Overton said.
So far, Overton’s tweet has over 480 likes and retweets.
