At Oklahoma State University, we've been hard at work preparing for NACURH 2008. Philanthropy is no exception. Philanthropy has been busy tweaking the details to make this year's philanthropy project a huge success. Love Without Boundaries is this year's philanthropy selection. Based out of Edmond, Oklahoma, and approximately one hour from Stillwater, Love Without Boundaries raises money for orphaned children to pay for their medical, nutritional, and educational needs. Their mission statement reads: We are a group of volunteers around the world who have realized that people who have a pure love for helping children can truly make a difference. We all donate our time and gifts in an attempt to brighten the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable children. Love Without Boundaries was chosen because we felt called to "Take the Stage" in helping this worthy cause by bringing attention and funding to the needs of underprivileged children around the world. With ample participation in this year's philanthropy portion, the organization's resources will greatly increase. Accordingly, more children will be helped and given the chance themselves to "Take the Stage." Specifically, the money each school raises from their endeavors will go to Love Without Boundaries' Believe In Me School programs. At these schools in China, special needs children who are unable to attend local public schools due to disabilities are given the chance to develop and grow. Two such schools are running in Guangdong and Changde and three more are in the process of opening. Every school attending NACURH 2008 is challenged to develop and host a fundraiser. This year, creativity is a large part of the philanthropy section and each participating school will formulate and run a fundraiser that displays their talents and special flairs. Some ideas include a battle of the bands, auctioning off paintings, or charity softball games; your own imagination is the limit. We ask that you send checks addressed to LWB Education Music, with the memo music in Believe in Me school programs, to: Love Without Boundaries 306 S Bryant, Suite C PMB 145 Edmond, OK 73034 To assess each school's philanthropy endeavors, a presentation showcasing it must be developed and sent in. Options for presentations include a scrapbook with a ten page maximum, a video, or a PowerPoint with a five minute maximum. Each presentation should include the groundwork of the fundraiser, how students on campus got involved and participated, the amount of money raised, and any other details pertinent to the fundraising process. These presentations need to be postmarked by April 1st, 2008 and mailed to: NACURH 2008 C/O Beth Oliver 101 Kerr Hall Stillwater, OK 74077 As always, philanthropy participation is included in spirit points. This year, schools participating in philanthropy will earn 15 spirit points. In addition, the twenty schools with the top philanthropy efforts will receive a bonus of 20 spirit points. The top twenty fundraisers, divided into the top ten large schools (more than 1000 full-time students) and the top ten small schools (less than 1000 full-time students), will be determined by creativity of the fundraiser, participation in the fundraiser, amount of money raised, and quality and creativity of the concluding presentation. We will also be presenting a program at NACURH 2008 displaying the top twenty fundraisers and other philanthropy tips. This will give students the opportunity to collect new and creative philanthropy and fundraising ideas to take back and implement on their respective campuses. Thank you in advance for your time and dedication to this philanthropy! It truly is our responsibility to "Take the Stage" and change the world. If you have any questions concerning the philanthropy guidelines, please contact us. Our contact information is provided on the Contact page. To learn more about Love Without Boundaries, check out their website: www.lovewithoutboundaries.com Rock on! Melissa Morie & Beth Oliver In addition to mailing in the philanthropy presentations, you can email them to us at beth.oliver@nacurh08.com or melissa.morie@nacurh08.com. Remember, the deadline is April 20th. Let us know if you have any more questions.