Spring News from the Sweet Pea Foundation

Sweet Pea Foundation in the News

The nationally circulated publication Woman’s World Magazine will include an article about the Sweet Pea Foundation in its “Doing Good” section. It is scheduled to hit newsstands June 2nd. Pick up a copy as we share our story with people across the country. The Foundation was also fortunate to have a second article appear on the front page of The Elkhart Truth.  It was a follow-up story to the article that appeared two years ago. Finally, the South Bend Tribune featured the Foundation in its Community section last November. It talked about Grace and how she inspired us to start the Sweet Pea Foundation. All of the newspaper articles can be viewed on our Web site at www.sweetpeafoundation.org.

 Community Involvement

During this past holiday season Kay Jewelers collected donations for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Customers purchased stuffed bears and the proceeds were donated to the research hospital. Many customers asked that the toys also be donated to charity as well. Two of the local stores generously provided the bears to the Sweet Pea Foundation. In total, 110 bears were given and the Foundation delivered the toys to Elkhart General Hospital and Memorial Hospital in South Bend before Christmas. We want to thank Kim Jones for connecting the Foundation with Kay Jewelers and everyone at Kay’s for their support.

After reading about the Foundation in the South Bend Tribune, members of the Penn Aquatic Club collected toys on behalf of the Foundation in lieu of their usual Secret Santa exchange. Thank you swimmers!

We also want to thank Fox Ridge Elementary School in St. Charles, IL for their continued support. For the third year, students at Fox Ridge have donated toys and items needed by the Ronald McDonald House on West Deming Street in Chicago. In addition, the students have collected thousands of pop tabs that have contributed to our goal of joining the Million Tab Club.

Toys and Gifts

For several months we were hoping to create a signature toy for the Foundation. After consulting with some advisors, we have decided not to pursue this project for liability reasons. Instead, we have established a goal of providing an additional 2,000 toys to the hospitals within the next eighteen months. That should bring our grand total to over 5,000 toys donated.

Blarney Bash

St. Patrick’s Day 2008 was another successful event raising over $4,000. The Blarney Bash has evolved into a family event that is enjoyed by adults and children alike. With adults enjoying the usual Irish cuisine and the children enjoying the craft corner and Kid cuisine of hot dogs and mac & cheese, we hope to continue providing a celebration for all ages. We extend a special thanks to our sponsors (listed on the back cover) for their generous support. Save Tuesday, March 17th for next year’s Blarney Bash!

Kickoff Classic Golf Outing

Mark your calendar! The 5th Annual Kickoff Classic golf outing has been scheduled for September 12 at Juday Creek Golf Course in Mishawaka, IN. If you are interested in sponsoring or participating in the event, please contact Pete Letherman at 574-296-1310. You can sign up a foursome or individually. We will forward more detailed information about the outing later this summer.

Grace-E-Grams

If you have a family member or know of a child that is going to be hospitalized for an extended period of time, please let the Foundation know. We will send a small package of toys and books to the patient. To date we have sent over 15 care packages to various children in hospitals across the country. Send an email to sweetpeafoundation@comcast.net providing the hospital’s address, patient’s name, gender, age, room number and the anticipated length of stay.

Our Pledge

We want to remind you that 100 percent of your contribution will be directed toward programs that help sick children and their families. All marketing and overhead costs continue to be paid for by the Letherman and Power families. We also want to reaffirm to you that your mailing information will not be shared with anyone. If you would like to be removed from the mailing list, please return the enclosed card indicating that you would like to be removed from the list.

The funds received from the Spring 2008 Campaign will be broken down as follows:

70% for the “Seeds of Grace” fund

20% for the toys

10% for the Ronald McDonald House reserve fund

We continue to be humbled by the success of the Foundation and the outpouring of support we have received. Thank you.

With gratitude, 

Autumn 2007 Campaign Letter Sweet Pea Sweet     Spring 2007 Campaign Letter

Autumn 2006 Campaign Letter                                    Spring 2006 Campaign Letter

Autumn 2005 Campaign Letter                                    Spring 2005 Campaign Letter

Autumn 2004 Campaign Letter                                    Spring 2004 Campaign Letter