T-minus 3 Months to the 3rd Semi-Annual Evening to Empower

This year’s Brandon Foundation Evening to Empower Dinner and Auction is less than 3 months away! The night will include a performance by our scholars, musical entertainment, a live painting by a local artist, and a live and silent auction. All of this and more will take place on Saturday, May 19^th at the Walb International Ballroom on the campus of Purdue Fort Wayne. Our goal is to raise $50,000. The planning is well under way, and we need YOUR help to make the evening a success! We are looking for sponsors, in kind contributions and dinner guests.

Sponsorship Levels:

• $2,500 - Dinner Sponsor
• $1,000 - Entertainment Sponsor
• $750 - Vision Board Display Sponsor
• $500 - Table Sponsor

To show our gratitude for these sponsorships, your company, organization, or family name will be displayed during the event, inside the program, and on our website so all attendees will recognize your valued contribution and commitment to our students’ futures. Here is a full look at the added benefits of becoming a sponsor:

Of course, we invite you to attend and encourage you to bring guests. We would love to celebrate The Brandon Foundation’s success with you! Because of the constant support of our donors, it is possible for the children of The Brandon Foundation to continue to grow, pursue opportunities, participate in extracurricular programs, earn scholarships, and develop as future community leaders.

We appreciate your consideration. Any donation in support of The Brandon Foundation will be well-received; no gift is too small. Donations may be mailed directly to The Brandon Foundation. If you have an item that needs to be picked up, please contact The Brandon Foundation’s to make arrangements. You can call (260) 579-7783 or email brandonfoundation@hotmail.com. For more information, to donate, or to purchase tickets, please visit: https://goo.gl/1UzgFx .

Early bird ticket sales end March 1^st; that’s only 1 week away! Make sure you grab yours!

We hope to see you soon!

Thank you for reading!

Abby Bormann & The Brandon Foundation

What is a leader? - Civic Engagement

How do you define the word leader or decide that one person is a leader, and another is not? There are leaders by title only. There are people in decision making roles who make choices only for themselves. There are also those who lead from anywhere, no matter the title, time or place (or age). One characteristic of a great leader is that they always have in mind the needs of others, with a mind and a heart for service.

Recently, The Brandon Foundation scholars have been learning that you’re never too young to be an advocate and an activist in your community. The conversation began with talking about big issues in the southeast Fort Wayne community and in cities around the country. The scholars discussed redlining, microaggressions, and police shootings and other topics. Next, they began to think about what in their own communities they want to change. A few key things that came up were: improving parks, making neighborhoods safer, and having more options for groceries.

In order to work towards taking action on community improvement, the students narrowed down their ideas to one park in particular, very close to where two TBF students live, that is in great need of updating and some tender loving care. Our scholars are meeting with the neighborhood association and the church that owns the property and are in the process of formulating a plan, including developing a budget. The students are learning that they too can make changes in the community, if they choose to live to help others.

Look out for updates in the coming months on this project! I can’t wait to see what our scholars accomplish!

Thank you for reading!

Abby Bormann & The Brandon Foundation