04/18/2023
Here we are again, April 18th.
Crazy to think Mike would be 46 today.
Time is flying and it’s time to start making things happen before I’m out of years myself.
I spoke with the Custer County Foundation today about removing the mission of helping with a veterans’ memorial in town simply due to the fact that these things can take years and each year that goes by we miss the chance to help a local student in need.
I’d still be on board to help fundraise any chance I could for a memorial, but as far as the Michael Doheny Foundation, I’d like to see it opened up to start helping kids by 2024.
It’s on the agenda for the scholarship selection committee to workshop ideas on the criteria.
The general idea would be for kids with lower GPAs that have a letter of recommendation that exemplifies work ethic and a desire to improve.
Grades aren’t always reflective of a young kid’s effort or desire to further education, especially kids that don’t have educational support at home or have had to work so often that little time was left for academics.
Setting those parameters are nuanced, so I’m looking forward to hearing back from the selection comittee to
However, before we get ahead of ourselves, I’ll need YOUR approval to make sure everyone who has already donated is okay with transitioning from a general fund (which allowed to donate to general causes such as a memorial) to a fund exclusively for scholarships.
Once we get a general consensus and approval, we’ll start putting in the work to create the official criteria, decide the reward amount, and work on ideas that help replenish the fund.
I’m donating a recurring amount of $25/month, so for everyone that does that with me is a guaranteed additional $300.
It wouldn’t take many of us to reach a significant amount that could really make a difference for a well deserved kid who just needs a little support and encouragement. I’ll post the donation link below if you’re ready to hop on board or so that you can save it for later if you’d like to wait until the details are finalized.
There are many more ideas and ways to raise funds and engage donors, and we’ll talk more about those once we know we are good to make this change!
So, I’ll wrap this up by wishing Mike a Happy Birthday and sending my Love to all those who knew and Loved him and were left missing a piece of themselves after he left far too soon.
Apologies that it’s taken me so long to get things going, but with this step we’ll be able to really start putting things into action.
