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Dear LHSA coaches, parents, and supporters:

The backbone of LHSA is its vast array of volunteers, from parents, coaches, managers, league representatives, and board members. Of course, it also takes considerable funds to run a successful club from registration fees, tournament fees, referee fees, trainers, and much more. Fortunately, our annual club dues cover the majority of these costs, but auxiliary revenue from fundraisers, sponsors, and other sources is also critical to provide additional resources to our players and ensure their continued development. As many of you know, LHSA has recently expanded its commitment to external fundraising to obtain funds for these needs. A case in point was the inaugural 'Golf Fundraiser' held in May 2011, which raised ~$5000 to cover LHSA's rental and usage of Rider's grass and turf fields during the Spring 2011 season. Our ability to use these fields not only satisfied a critical need, but also helped to foster our ongoing relationship with Rider University.

The purpose of this letter is to bring another possible fundraising source to your collective attention. Once per calendar year, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation will contribute $500 to LHSA, as a recognized 501c3, on behalf of the employee when 50 hours of volunteer service are reached. This service can be as team manager, coach, trainer, or any other role approved by the board. The process is easy. just enter your name, organization, role, and hours served on the employee giving web site. A form will be sent to the registered contact certification. Once certified, the BMS Foundation will release funds at the end of the fiscal quarter. Over the years, several coaches have taken advantage of this program. For example, as one of the coaches of the U-12G Flames, Herb Klei has successfully made this request for the past several years. Any LHSA volunteer and BMS employee is welcome to contact him for additional details.

Many other area companies likely also have similar charitable volunteer programs. In order to take full advantage of these programs, we ask two favors. First, to determine the scope of available programs, we ask that everyone who works at a company that might offer similar programs please contact the relevant department (e.g. Human Resources, Community Affairs) and inquire as to what programs are available through their company. The aim is to start a database of such programs. Second, if you work at one of these companies and either currently volunteer, or are contemplating volunteering, please consider participating.

The LHSA Board has recently agreed to dedicate and apply these funds for the rental, maintenance, and acquisition of playing/training fields to the benefit of our Recreation and Competitive arms. To help ensure the success of this process, the fundraising committee, led by Tom Foltiny and Dave Krisak, will coordinate this effort in order to maximize our ability to successfully capitalize on charitable programs offered through participating companies. Of course, any help with this effort is welcome so, if you are interested in helping out in any way, please contact them at fundraiser@lawrencehamnett.com.

Sincerely,