From Charlie and Maura Weis
We have had another great year personally and with our foundation. Hannah has finally settled into her new home and loves school and her friends. It’s amazing how kind the children in her school are toward the children with disabilities. She has two friends both named Katie that are her buddies. They call the girls “The Three Amigos”.
Our son Charlie has informed us that he wants to be a head football coach. Not a football coach mind you, “A head football coach.” He is a huge ND fan and is working hard at getting good grades so he can go to Notre Dame. He also is a loving brother to his sister and has spoken to his fellow classmates about Hannah and Friends.
Charlie has been quite busy this year, not only with football, but with spreading the word about Awareness & Compassion for people with different abilities. He has been on several speaking engagements, billboards and even 60 Minutes to speak about our mission. We hope to change the way people look at disabilities and turn that around to educating them so they can understand. We feel that Hannah is our Angel, but there are many more angels and they need our help. We get many letters at Hannah and Friends and they show that the message is getting out there. Charlie has written a book “No Excuses” and has dedicated it to people with special needs. He is donating proceeds from the book to Hannah and Friends, as well as speaking engagement fees.
This year, because of generosity of individuals like you, we were able to grant over $45,000 to low-income individuals and families with special needs. One story in particular really touched our hearts. A young man with Autism needed a new bed, for which Hannah & Friends provided a grant. The mom sent back a heart-warming thank you stating that “her son now sleeps thru the night and has been behaving so much better in the daytime and it also has allowed her to sleep at night and she has been able to work better because she is not lacking in sleep anymore.” That is just one example of the many heart-felt stories we see and hear each year.
Can you imagine how a bed could actually change lives? This is why the grants are so important and it’s because of you that we are able to do this good work. In addition to the grants to families we were also able to donate $5000 to the construction of Challenger baseball field, which is a baseball field for children with special needs; $5000 for a wheelchair ramp for Reins of Life, a therapeutic riding program; $3000 to kick start a program for St. Mary’s College students, in which the students go to the homes to give extra speech therapy to children with special needs; $12,000 from our wristband program to the Logan Center, as well as additional sensory equipment for their sensory room. Due to the success of our inaugural ND Coaches’ Kickoff for Charity in July, we were able to grant $350,000 each to the Holtz Charitable Foundation and Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation. As a result of having only two paid employees and minimal operating costs, we have been able to provide more grants than we ever imagined -- all of which was possible only through your support. We could not do this without you! Your donations are changing lives for the better!
We are also announcing that we are in the process of purchasing thirty acres of land in the South Bend area for our farm/residential center. We are currently ensuring that our residents will be welcome in the neighborhood and checking that we can build our homes and farm. We hope this purchase will be complete by June of 2007. Our first building will be a recreational center with an attached two-bedroom home. The center will allow parents with children with special needs to meet with each other and network about doctors, and to simply tell their story about their child/adult with special needs. Everyone has a story and it needs to be told. Also, the center will include two bedrooms and a kitchen, so parents can stay right on the property when visiting their child. Charlie & I are kick-starting that building by donating $100,000 towards the construction of that home. We want to get that building started once the land is secured. Hopefully by the end of next summer we will see that dream realized.
Special thanks to Stan & Kathleen Antongiovanni and Vincent & Kelly Schettler for becoming our newest Golden Domer contributors. Stan and Kathleen donated $50,000 to Hannah and Friends in memory of their son Peter Antongiovanni. Kelly Schettler surprised Vincent with a donation to Hannah and Friends for his anniversary. In addition to the $50,000 donation, the Schettlers have committed to us to donate $50,000 per year for the next five years. We are going to name our first residential home after them. Kelly was able to arrange a meeting with Coach to personally give the donation to Hannah and Friends. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
Have a wonderful New Year! We look forward to spending more time with you at our future events.
Sincerely,
Maura & Charlie Weis
