AUTUMN CAMPAIGN LETTER 2006

In 2003 when the Sweet Pea Foundation was established, one of the first objectives was to create a fund that would perpetually support an annual contribution to the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana. The yearly contribution would allow the Ronald McDonald House to offer a room to families free of charge. Well, we did it! In June, with the guidance of the Foundation’s financial advisor and its board of directors, we invested the money to provide enough interest to begin making an annual contribution. We are looking forward to delivering the first donation to the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana this spring.

Now that we have accomplished our first goal, we have set our sights on a new goal. This spring we are going to create a new fund that we are calling “Seeds of Grace.” The main objective of this fund is to provide Ronald McDonald Houses, hospitals, and others organizations that are caring for sick children with “seed” money for activities and events that will be held within the walls of the hospital or organization. For example, the Ronald McDonald House provides daily meals to the residents of the house. With this fund, the Foundation would be able to provide a catered dinner for the residents once or twice a year. Another example is to hire a massage therapist to spend the afternoon at a hospital providing free massages to parents of patients – a welcome break for any parent.

The details of the events and activities that we can sponsor are still a work in progress. We will continue to get guidance from the various organizations on how we can best assist the children and their families. We are also open to any ideas from our friends and supporters. Please feel free to contact us with thoughts or suggestions.

As in the past, we will continue to provide toys and other items to the hospitals. The funds received from the Autumn 2006 Campaign will be broken down as follows: 70% for the Seeds of Grace Fund, 10% for toys, 10% for “big ticket” items, and 10% to supplement the fund for the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity. We are amazed at how much the Foundation has accomplished in a few short years. None of this would be possible without the help of our supporters. It is true that “from a little grace grows a world of love.”

Ronald McDonald House of Indiana Fund
In June we opened an account with Wachovia Securities for the fund that will support the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana. With guidance from the Foundation’s financial advisor and approval from its board of directors, we opened several certificates of deposit with various maturity dates. These CDs are a safe and conservative investment option for the RMH fund while still earning enough interest for the Foundation to make its annual donation. Because interest rates fluctuate, we are going to use 10% of the funds from the Autumn Campaign to establish a reserve fund. This will ensure that we will be able to maintain our commitment to the Ronald McDonald House for many years to come.

“Big Ticket” Purchases
We have received additional requests for personal DVD players. As part of the Autumn Campaign we will set aside 10% of the contributions we receive for the purchase of DVD players and movies. We hope to purchase a total of seven systems. Two of the units will be donated to the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Memorial Hospital in South Bend. The other five DVD players will be given to Children’s Memorial in Chicago.

AGDIA Inc. Donation
A special thank you to the wonderful people at AGDIA, Inc. for their support of the Sweet Pea Foundation. As part of their annual picnic, they donated household supplies, food, and over 200 toys for the Foundation to distribute to the hospitals and Ronald McDonald Charities. They also gave the Sweet Pea Foundation a generous monetary contribution. We greatly appreciate their thoughtfulness and support.

Kickoff Classic Golf Outing
The third annual Kickoff Classic was held at Juday Creek on September 8th. Congratulations to this year’s winners: (pictured left to right) Dean Leazenby, Steve Brown, Tom Borger, and Vince Vondervellen. A special thank you to our sponsors. The event was sponsored by LandAmerica Lawyers Title, Wachovia, & Wedenbach-Brown. Beverage sponsors and hole sponsors are listed on the back of this brochure.

Blarney Bash
Mark your calendar! The fourth annual Blarney Bash is going to be held on March 17th at the Knights of Columbus in Elkhart. Please join us for traditional Irish cuisine, green beer and excellent company. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, contact Pete Letherman at 574-296-1310 or email blarneybash@comcast.net.

“Seeds of Grace”
Since we have fulfilled our goal for the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana, we are going to focus on a new fund that we are calling “Seeds of Grace.” Just as our daughter planted a seed by inspiring us to establish the Sweet Pea Foundation, we want to spread her “seeds” by providing activities in hospitals and other places that are caring for sick children. We are talking with various hospitals and organizations to determine different activities that can be sponsored by the Foundation. One of the first seeds for the Foundation will be to provide dinners to the Ronald McDonald Houses of Indiana and Chicago.

Toy Count
The Foundation has purchased and delivered over 2,200 toys to Riley Hospital for Children, Chicago Children’s Memorial Hospital, Memorial Hospital in South Bend and Elkhart General Hospital. We are excited about the growing number of toys and look forward to dedicating 10% of the Autumn Campaign funds toward expanding the toy count.

Holiday Gift Giving
Over the past few years, several individuals and companies have asked the Foundation to send out cards to customers and friends as a gift of appreciation during the holiday season. Consider a gift to the Sweet Pea Foundation this season. Simply provide us with the names and addresses of those you would like to honor. We will send a card acknowledging the gift from you in their name.

The Sweet Pea Foundation
Pete, Suzanne, Andrew, and Angel Grace Letherman
 

Spring 2006 Campaign Letter

Autumn 2005 Campaign Letter

Spring 2005 Campaign Letter

Autumn 2004 Campaign Letter

Spring 2004 Campaign Letter