ONE month from today!!

In just ONE month we will gather for a very special evening in downtown Green Bay!

Yes, the date is 11.12.13, because that is what we do. Some of you may remember our events on 9.9.99 and 11.11.11, but this one is unlike any we have ever attempted.

We have so many exciting things planned for the night, but to truly feel the impact, we highly encourage you and your family to be there!

A few highlights to expect on November 12th

• More details on the General George S. Patton Scholarship of Honor we established in Pilsen.  This year we were grateful to Bob Nueske for the opportunity to have WLUK Fox 11's very own Mark Leland and Tim Flanigan document Pilsen's Liberation Festival.

 11.12.13 will be the premiere viewing of a very special documentary on Pilsen, its  citizens and the love they have for America to this day.

• You will hear from 'ordinary people' who have gone on to do extraordinary things across this great land, including some of the Foundation's past scholarship recipients and Czech Republic dignitaries. 

• The Green Bay Preble High School Vocal Ensemble which includes former scholarship recipients will perform throughout the evening.

• Jaw-dropping entertainment by magician Justin Flom will leave you in awe. At 26 years old, Just in Flom is known around the world for his magic. Growing up in the Midwest, he started performing at a young age. After high school he toured with professional magicians and now regularly takes the stage at Hollywood's Magic Castle and has performed in 26 countries and on the Ellen DeGeneres show.

Tickets are going incredibly fast!  Get yours now at meyertheatre.org or at 800-895-0071

Across the Ocean...

I am excited to share a wonderful opportunity I had with you.  Thanks to a generous personal gift from my Aunt Sue LeTourneau, who is also a board member of Brian's Foundation, I was able to visit and meet with the Nidzica Community Foundation (Nidzicki Fundusz Lokalny) in Poland.

What a special time!  We partnered with the Nidzica Foundation 10 years ago and this year we presented our 60th scholarship there, totally $41,000.00.    

This was our first visit to meet them and after communicating with them through email for years, I was grateful for the chance to shake their hands, look them in the eyes and see their life.

These two great men picked me up from the airport...

Andrzej (my 'go to' for the past 10 years) and his son Lukasz.  They made me feel welcome the minute I stepped off the airplane.

I was able to spend three days with them... they showed me the area (which was beautiful), introduced me to so many remarkable people and on the last day, I had a chance to meet with past and current scholarship recipients and take part in the scholarship presentation.  

This is their Foundation headquarters.  Isn't it beautiful?  

It is in this sweet, collaborative pottery village which included other organizations. Did I mention that I learned how to make pottery for the first time from someone who spoke entirely in Polish?

Oh and umm, this is where I stayed...in the castle hotel, which is from the 13th century!

But one of the most joyous things for me was meeting the recipients and being part of the scholarship presentation.  

We have three incredible family sponsors (The Robert D. Nueske Family, Dr. and Sue Smullen and the Weyers Family Foundation)who award two scholarships a year to recipients in the Nidzica area.

Here are the names of this years' recipients and their field of studies.

Mateusz Smoliński Management and production engineering, Main Agriculture-School in Warsaw         

Krzysztof Szczephkowski Applied Linguistics, University in Gdansk

Renata Bruzdziak-Finance and Accounting-Main Trade School in Warsaw (School of Economics)

Małgorzata Młyńska--Environmental Protection, University of Warsaw

Daniel Traczewski-Economics/Finance and Accounting/Computer Science and Econometrics, University in Warsaw

Aneta Rudzińska-Materials Engineering, Politechnic in Gdansk

And the man on the left, Jarosaw Pluciennik, was our first scholarship recipient in Poland!  He now helps with their foundation.

I am so happy to share a small part of this visit with you.  Their kindness, graciousness and positive spirit will remain with me always.