Wanna throw out the first pitch
in a Twins game?
It's perfectly doable – provided you purchase the winning ticket in this year's PMF Twins Raffle.
The Twins raffle is a fun way to get people excited about helping to solve the problem of school violence – combined with the crack of the bat and a box of Crackerjack.
There are five prizes for the September 18 drawing:
1st Prize – 2 tickets to the first game of the 2011 season, including the coveted ceremonial first pitch
2nd Prize – 4 tickets to 2011 games
3rd Prize – a Michael Cuddyer-autographed bat
4th Prize – a Harmon Killebrew-autographed ball
5th Prize – a limited-edition Target Field commemorative bat
Not bad for a $1 ticket, right?
Of course we want to sell you raffle tickets. More important, we would love to get you involved as a seller of tickets to everyone you know who hates school violence and loves Twins baseball.
Think of it, you'd be like Wally the Beerman – only instead of lugging beer up the stadium, you'll be selling tickets at your school, at your workplace, church, union hall, wherever.
Last year's raffle raised $2, 663. If we can get 200 people interested in moving tickets, we'll hit a home run for schoolkids in Minnesota.
To take part, contact Vivian Greeninger, our Twins Raffle head coach, at (763) 559-4709 or email her at vgreeninger@gmail.com. And do it now – September 18 is coming this way.
Tell Vivien: “Put me in coach, I'm ready to play.”
Sponsors: Some folks want to go the extra mile
And that's what PMF is looking for in a sponsor. Sponsors are individuals or organizations for whom the problem of school safety is very important, and they want to go the extra mile.
Yes, the act of giving throws a little sunlight on their generosity – sponsors' names are often listed on banners, programs, and brochures, which can be good for business – but mainly, the reward is doing something good for kids.
An example of a current PMF sponsor that has "done well by doing good" is Bytek, an IT company in Eden Prairie. Bytek is not a giant company, but they have created a niche for themselves meeting the dataserver needs of Twin Cities businesses.
"We're a little like Peace Maker Foundation," jokes Bytek co-owner Jeff Cheney. "We're small, we're fast, and we're flexible. We came to PMF because we're friends with the people there.
"But it means a lot to us to know that our company is not just serving customers, we're doing something that makes the whole community a better place."
What did Bytek sponsor? The printing and mailing costs of our 2010 annual report, due out soon. Typically, a sponsor funds an event or a process:
-
For $500, a sponsor can underwrite a campaign in their community, for their schools.
-
For $1000, a sponsor can help PMF put on a presentation informing parents and teachers about our work.
-
For $10,000, a sponsor can finance an entire year of campaign expenses, and be prominently featured in all our publications. We call this a Cornerstone donor, because they take the whole load onto themselves.
Maybe you're not ready to take on a Cornerstone load – but it's never too early to be thinking about ways to deepen your connection to the safety of your community's kids.
If you know a company that may have some sponsorship dollars available, please let us know about them. (call
651-285-7087 or email dmcneil@peacemaker.org) Or let them know about us!
For information on sponsorship levels, and what happens to the money, download this document.
And thank you for all you are already doing!
"We do hope a donor comes along ..."
It's the time of year when PMF receives reports from schools about how the school year went -- who learned what, and how the school is a different place now.
One good report came from Gideon Pond School serving Burnsville/Savage/Eagan. Principal Laura Pierce included several hand-written statements from 5th graders.
"We learned that passing on love instead of meanness comes back on you, like a boomerang," wrote Phil B., one of the 5th graders.
"I know funds may not be available for Gideon Pond next year," concluded Principal Pierce. "But we do hope a donor will come through, and see what we have accomplished thus far, and how it has changed the way students behave with one another."
South St. Paul holding three PMF presentations
One of the best ways Peace Maker Foundation has found to explain what it does has been its community presentations.
It works simply. We hold a "meet-and-greet" where we show parents and teachers what can be done to put a lid on school violence. Teachers who have worked with PMF tell their stories. Parents get a change, too. We show our videos, nibble on some snacks, and we lay out the challenges of changing the way kids interact at school.
These presentations are not fund-raisers. They're just a way to get people talking about this important issue.
This summer we are holding three presentations in South St. Paul alone:
- Wednesday, July 28
- Wednesday, August 25
- Wednesday, September 29
All three South St. Paul presentations will be 45 minutes long, starting at 12:00 Noon, at Central Square Community, 100 7th Avenue North.
If you would like to hold a presentation in your community this coming school year, let us know. We can't be everywhere at once, but we do want to meet you and hear your stories.
Bowl-A-Thon a Huge Hit
Families sometimes ask, What can we do to bring people together over the issue of bullying in the schools?
A South St. Paul group representing Lincoln Center Elementary and Kaposia Education Centercommunity] decided to go bowling.
The event was organized by Julie Monson, and raised $927.
Prizes went to the top two bowler ($25 best Buy card and $99 gift certificate in their name to Eyes for Mendota)
A prize also went to the bowler who rounded up the most sponsors ($25 Best Buy card and $45 gift certificated to JD Lettering).
Plus all the kids got pizza, and some cool gardening tools donated by Gerten's.
Said organizer Lucy Monson: “We wanted a way to raise money that was also fun. We had a blast."
Altogether, nine 6 kids from Lincoln and Kaposia took part.
“The kids told me there is something very satisfying about seeing those pins go down!” Monson said.
Talking about school violence in New Brighton
In terms of "telling the story" about school violence to Minnesota communities, PMF is still in the beginning stages. Which was why it was great to be invited to appear on "New Brighton Now" on CTV15 in July.
PMF director Dan McNeil sat with host Lynn Redlinger and discussed why school violence matters, how Peace Maker Foundation works, and how people can get involved in their own communities to nip bullying in the bud.
It is our hope that we can use the mass media more in the future to get the word out that "kids behaving badly" isn't just human nature -- that everyone can learn to respect one another. But first we have to admit the problem is there, and accept our responsibility to deal with it.
MPR – Thank you so much!
Great news – Minnesota Public Radio and its parent organization American Public Media have agreed to list Peace Maker Foundation on their employee contribution forms.
Employee donations are one of the most important ways we have for raising money to fight violence in schools. And it's democratic – employees get to choose for themselves where they would like their tax-deductible contributions to go.
It's how the United Way, which is a kazillion times bigger than us, raises money.
MPR, in case you have been living on Jupiter, is the nation's foremost public radio network. It is the source of news and entertainment for a million Minnesotans. It and its parent, American Public Media, have given us such shows as Prairie Home Companion , The Splendid Table , Marketplace , Speaking of Faith , As It Happens , and other favorites. Together they reach over 15 million people each week.
Did we twist arms and get down on our knees to get MPR to include us on their list? No. It was just a matter of add a box to their employee giving form. MPR simply added the box. Because they did, there will be a solution to school violence at dozens of participating Minnesota schools. (Your organization can do the same thing – just as easily!)
On behalf of Minnesota schoolkids, we thank APM and MPR for their confidence in us, and we especially thank the people who check us off on their employee giving forms.
Previous Stories
Wanted: Office Space, and Someone to Help Out
Perhaps, when you think of Peace Maker Foundation, you envision a gleaming office space stocked with the latest technology and an efficient full-time staff.
Not quite. In fact, for years the foundation has been run out of Dan McNeil's home. It's worked all right, but it's time for a change. PMF is looking for a friendly organization that has an empty office – preferably within a few miles of New Brighton – that we could operate out of.
All we need is a door, a desk, and some electricity.
We are also looking for a wonderful volunteer who can help us a half day per week opening and answering mail.
What can we pay? Exactly nothing. We roll all our funds into school violence initiatives, plus operating expenses.
But the cause is a good one. At a time when many nonprofits are closing their doors because of dried-up funding, or worse, PMF has struck a chord with parents and schools.
Also, PMF is a 5013(c) corporation. Any contribution to us, even of an in-kind nature, like the donation of office space, is tax-deductible. You will do better writing off the donation than leaving the space empty. And you will be helping out kids and schools.
If you have such a space -- let us know!
And if you feel called to help us raise money to protect kids, we sincerely want to meet you!
Call PMF at (651) 285-7087 or email Dan McNeil at this address.
Can we talk?
One of our objectives of the Peace Maker website is to be less about the Foundation itself and more about schools, kids, and families.
To this end, we have added an interactive chatroom to the site. Many people have asked how they could tell us their stories about school violence and bullying. This space was created so they could do that.
Visitors can register with made-up names, so they can speak frankly.
One part of the chatroom has been designated for kids only.
Already, conversations are popping up there. One writer wrote a very interesting account of his experience when he was in school.
If you have a heart for this issue, join us. We want to hear your stories (good and bad) … your successes … what works and what doesn't.
We think creating this kind of action is important because it reminds us that our families are not alone facing the problems of bullying, teasing, isolation and social cruelty. Our stories remind us that we are all in this together.
And once we realize we are not alone, we become stronger ... and bullies lose their power.