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The LEAGUE Fan Letter - August 2008
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Posted August 26, 2008 at 1:31 PM
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 The LEAGUE Roster
Our inaugural season is in the record books - 1,833 active LEAGUE Teams (classes), 189 schools and 110,635 students in 21 states nationwide actively participated in The LEAGUE programming in the 2007-2008 season. To date, The LEAGUE teams have contributed $2,711,210 in time (hours), talent and treasure (donations raised) to their communities across the country.
We are excited to kick off The LEAGUE's second season! For information on how you can begin the new school year as part of The LEAGUE, visit www.theleague.org. | Reader's Digest Foundation "Grants" Its Support
The Reader's Digest Foundation (RDF) announced that it will donate $100,000 to The LEAGUE in the organization's efforts to inspire individuals to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
This grant, the fifth in the RDF's $1 million "Make it Matter" program, was inspired by the amazing accomplishments of 14-year-old Carly Zalenski from Canton, Ohio, who epitomizes the power of young people to change the world. Carly, with the support of her family, raised more than $50,000 over a two-year period, beginning when she was 12, to build a school in Vietnam.
Making fundraising pitches and collecting checks from Rotary clubs and churches all across the state, Carly eventually met her $50,000 goal, which was then matched by the Vietnam Children's Fund. In March, Carly and her family traveled to Vietnam for a dedication ceremony at the Hoa Lac School in the Mekong Delta - the school Carly helped build. Carly's story is featured in the August issue of Reader's Digest.
"We are delighted to offer our support to The LEAGUE," said Susan Fraysse Russ, executive director, Reader's Digest Foundation. "As Carly Zalenski proves, compassion and the desire to help others are not restricted by age. The LEAGUE is guiding students to create a better world for people of all ages and we are proud to be part of that." 
"We are incredibly grateful to the Reader's Digest Foundation for choosing The LEAGUE as a grant recipient," says Mindy Propper, Chief Operating Officer for The LEAGUE. "We too are inspired by the work of Carly Zalenski and know that there are so many more young people just like her. The LEAGUE is all about providing these students with the resources they need to truly make a difference. Thanks to the support of Reader's Digest Foundation, we can extend our programming to more schools in more communities nationwide."
| A "Site" to See
A web site, that is. . .you'll definitely want to check out what's new on The LEAGUE web site at www.theleague.org. Highlights include:
- The LEAGUE Event calendar has been streamlined; featuring four major events, LEAGUE Wildcard Events and Open Wildcard events, providing greater flexibility to LEAGUE coaches (teachers)
- New and improved system for registering students and tracking results
- LEAGUE Standings that show last season "record holders" until current season event results are recorded
- The ability for coaches to create new class pages
- Greater visibility and emphasis on Wildcard events so that students have more opportunities to assess and address specific needs in their communities.
But that's not all. The Learning to Give (LTG) web site (www.learningtogive.org) has a whole new look. It has been redesigned to have the same visual look and feel as The LEAGUE site. In addition the homepage and throughout the site has improved navigation and a more user-friendly layout, providing easier access to the most frequently viewed and most popular sections of the site.
Please check it out. We'd love to hear what you think.
| A LEAGUE "Mini-Camp" in Michigan 
There was no football in site, but there were plenty of new plays as 12 LEAGUE coaches recently met in Michigan to help shape-up The LEAGUE lesson plans. Together, they drafted 52 new LEAGUE event lessons bringing the total number of lesson plans available to schools nationwide to more than 1,300.
"Thanks to the work of these outstanding educators, all LEAGUE coaches will begin the new school year with a choice of two lessons for each key event at each grade level from Kindergarten through 12th Grade," says Barbara Dillbeck, Director of Curriculum for The LEAGUE. "We thank them for their continued dedication to The LEAGUE and applaud their efforts to help students and communities nationwide."
Participating coaches and The LEAGUE staff members include:
| Lydia Alvarez | Newark Public Schools | NJ | | Amy Anderson | Hazelwood Middle School | IN | | Heather DeKoning | PS 132 The Conselyea | NY | | Barbara Dillbeck | LEAGUE Curriculum Director | MI | | Julie Flinkman | Barth Elementary School | MI | | Clare Friend | LEAGUE Curriculum Writer/Editor | MI | Sharon Gallimore
| East NY Family Academy | NY | | Greta Hendricks-Johnson | Detroit Public Schools | MI | | Kathy Hurst | Romulus Community Schools | MI | | Pamela McIntosh | Detroit Public Schools | MI | | Zelda Nathaniel | East NY Family Academy | NY | | Ramona Purdy-Bogerty | Detroit Public Schools | MI | | Cathy Schneider | Rushville Elementary School | IN | | Marguerite Stephens | Black Rive Public School | MI | | Betsy Williams | LEAGUE IN Program Manager | IN |
 Names now have faces. This was a very exciting two days. I had fun and the writing workshop was an eye-opener. Thanks for the invitation and I hope to work with you on LEAUGE ideas again.
- Sharon Gallimore, LEAGUE Curriculum Writer
| "One Day" in the Life of The LEAGUE
How much good can you do in one day? It's time to find out! The LEAGUE's annual "One Day" event begins on September 17 and runs through October 8. One Day is a "servathon" where students plan and organize a service project addressing a need in their community and sign up friends and family to sponsor them in advance. They create their very own service project (typically 3-4 hours), such as visiting seniors, tutoring peers, cleaning up neighborhoods and more. The project can be just about any service activity. That means students will experience the satisfaction of contributing while raising donations to help. For ideas and LEAGUE lesson plans, visit www.theleague.org. |  Dear Diary. . .
This is one diary that's meant to be shared! It's the "Diary of an Inner City Teacher" - the work of a LEAGUE Coach, Taman Tracy Moncur. Now available nationwide, "Diary of an Inner City Teacher" provides an inside look at teaching in inner city classrooms as experienced first- hand by Ms. Moncur. The book is eye opening and stresses the need for educators to help their students face and overcome today's many societal challenges. Ms. Moncur shares her experiences with The LEAGUE and the positive difference it has made in the lives of her students. The book is a must read for all educators and is available through www.Amazon.com. | Sharing News
Please contact doreen.stephens@leagueworldwide.org to share any LEAGUE news or information that you may have. | | The LEAGUE is changing the world by empowering young people everywhere to get in the game of making their community and world a better place. |
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