SPRING CAMPAIGN LETTER 2005

The Sweet Pea Foundation has been very busy this past winter and early spring delivering toys and supplies to the hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses. March and April were busy with a few celebrations and even more deliveries. Here is a quick update on the recent happenings of the Foundation: 

Special Deliveries: To date, the Foundation has purchased and delivered over 1,300 toys to Riley Hospital for Children and Chicago Children’s Hospital. This spring, the Foundation was able to provide four Sassy Mobiles, three crib CD players, two lullaby crib players, and six aquariums to Chicago Children’s Hospital. We were also able to deliver food and supplies to the Ronald McDonald Houses in Indianapolis and on West Deming Place in Chicago. We would especially like to thank the students at Fox Ridge Elementary School in St. Charles, Illinois for their generous donation.  

Pop Can Tabs: Thank you to everyone who has been saving pop can tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. So far, we have collected over 100 gallons of tabs. If you have pop can tabs that you would like to donate, please let us know and we will make arrangements to collect them or we will provide you with a location that will accept them.

Mardi Gras Party: On March 5th Suzanne and I had the opportunity to attend the Elkhart Junior Women’s Club’s 7th annual Mardi Gras fundraiser. This event included a pajama party theme, dancing and a silent auction. We had a very enjoyable evening bidding on fabulous items that were donated by local businesses and friends of the Club. The event generated over $8,000 and the Sweet Pea Foundation was one of four charities to receive a portion of the proceeds. We are touched by the thoughtfulness and generosity of all the members of the Elkhart Junior Women’s Club.

Blarney Bash: The Foundation’s 2nd annual Blarney Bash was a huge success. Again, we had close to 200 people join us for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that included live music, corned beef and cabbage, ham and potato casserole, and green beer. All the proceeds from the event went to the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana "room fund." We would like to thank our sponsors (Niblock Excavating, Wightman Petrie Engineering, Century Title Services, Elkhart East, H & G Services, NCMI, St. Joseph Capital Bank, Wightman Petrie Environmental and John & Dianne Letherman) and all of the people who donated their time to the event (Rob, Joe, Elizabeth and Lisa Letherman, Steve and Pat Power, Mary and Brian Thomas and Kim Jones). We greatly appreciate their generosity and support.

Reaching Our Goal: Thanks to the donations received from the Foundation’s supporters and fundraising events, we have raised over 50% of the funds necessary to support an annual donation to the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana. Our sincerest thanks to everyone who has helped the Foundation grow. We are extremely touched by your support. Donations we receive from this spring mailer will be distributed as follows: 80% to RMH fund, 10% to toys, and 10% to NICU and PICU items. As always, 100% of your donation will go toward the Foundation’s goals.

Thanks again for your support and have a wonderful and safe summer.

The Sweet Pea Foundation

Pete, Suzanne, Andrew, and Angel Grace Letherman

Spring 2004 Campaign Letter