Fern's Kids - April 2014

Friends & Colleagues,

When we first launched Fern’s Kids in mid February, our goal was clear: to honor our mother and the memory of our past by nurturing the future. A number of things however, were far less certain. We were unsure of how to navigate the formal establishment process, when we could begin actively supporting local students and teachers, or how much support to expect.

Given our uncertain beginnings, to suggest that the past two months have been encouraging would be an understatement. In just 60 days Fern’s Kids has raised $14,000 from over 200 donors. This incredible support speaks to the love our community felt about Fern, our family, and the desire to continue her legacy. Your willingness to support our cause has helped us begin to achieve our goals in far less time than we imagined. For this, we are incredibly grateful. Thank you to everyone who made such generous contributions or helped to spread the word about Fern’s Kids.

As inspiring as it has been to watch the donations roll in, putting those donations to good use is what Fern’s Kids is really about. We are proud to announce that this process is now underway. Your generosity has helped to provide Mrs. Cheryl Sonnenberg, a first grade teacher at P.S. 174 in Queens, NY, with a new dry erase board for her classroom. It is our sincerest hope that this contribution can help Mrs. Sonnenberg better meet the needs of her students and brighten the learning environment for the children in her class. Mrs. Sonnenberg relayed how excited this gift made her students.

Additionally we are proud to announce that starting at the end of April Fern’s Kids will be officially formed as 501(c) 3 fund. By partnering with the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF), Fern’s Kids will be recognized as a fund for public charitable and educational uses, allowing any future donations made directly to the fund to be tax deductable. The staff at LICF will help us to administer any projects we undertake and will assist in the day to day operations of the fund. This development will go a long way in facilitating the future growth and sustainability of Fern’s Kids.

Finally, know that this is only the beginning. We look forward to continuing to support teachers like Mrs. Sonnenberg and students in classrooms throughout the New York area. Of course, we can’t do this alone. Any help you can provide going forward (in the form of donations or by helping to raise awareness) will be greatly appreciated.