Tribute to Kelly show - discussion

Hi guys! We don’t need a full blown meeting on this coming Sunday but just a shortened version! If Stephanie and Georgia can come over on Sunday about 3 or 4 o’clock (let me know what’s best for you two) to firm up the action list and give me advice on structure I think it would work out better than all of us right now!! After the three of us meet, we’ll notify everyone of what’s next, plan for the next meeting and go forth and conquer! IF anyone else does want to come over to listen, visit and eat food and cookies you are most welcome but don’t feel obligated!! I always, always, always love your company!

Attached is a revised storyboard and draft action list that we’ll work with – any comments, suggestions, inputs are greatly appreciated. I’ll coordinate a meeting either just before the big holiday or right after the holidays when all is calmed down.

Georgia, Steph – if Sunday doesn’t work let me know as I have some open nites next week also.

Mary

Team rallies in memory of Kelly Cortesi

By Barbara Livingston Nackman
The Journal News • November 8, 2008

PUTNAM VALLEY - The Tigers' season began with grief.

Then came the butterflies.

Members of the Putnam Valley High School girls field hockey team couldn't believe it when they began to notice butterflies everywhere following the sudden death of teammate and close friend Kelly Cortesi.

Cortesi, 16, fell nearly 30 feet from a dangerous cliff at Bear Mountain State Park during a summer outing with a friend and her mother, and died after being flown to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

"People were looking for a way to hold onto Kelly's spirit. And then everyone started seeing the butterflies," said Mary Jo Daley, a family friend whose daughter plays on the team and will compete in Kelly's honor today.

Kelly loved bright colors and the beautiful insect with a short life is also the symbol of organ donations. Her family donated Kelly's vital organs - her heart, liver and kidneys - to save others.

"They really do make us feel she is here with us," said teammate Tianna Daley, 16, who knew Kelly since they were fourth-graders and played on junior varsity with her as a sophomore. She would have moved to varsity this year with Daley, a goalie. The girls also participated in Irish step dancing programs together.

Tianna Daley, center, and members of the Putnam Valley High School varsity field hockey team yesterday hold armbands and sticks adorned with butterflies to honor deceased teammate Kelly Cortesi. (Joe Larese/The Journal News)

Kelly's mother, Mary Cortesi, said she, too, began seeing butterflies. Then she received small gold butterfly pins from the organ donor network and it all clicked.

"This has become a way for them to focus so positively and devote their energies," Mary Cortesi said.

The butterfly is considered a symbol of renewal and rebirth and used often with organ donation and transplantation programs.

The teammates have put butterfly emblems on their hockey sticks and had black wrist bands made with butterflies embroidered in orange, her favorite color, that they have worn for every game this season.

And the girls say they have seen lots of real butterflies all season, which reminds them that Kelly is nearby.

One day, though, before a game no one had seen a real butterfly and the team got a bit spooked. Then a jogger ran across the track wearing a T-shirt imprinted with lots of butterflies and they felt better.

Now with the help of stickers, bands and imprints, they always have these colorful flying insects in sight.

The team is set to play against Garden City, Long Island, at 4 p.m. today in a Class B regional championship game at Lakeland High School field. They hope to move onto state semifinals next week - and their butterflies with them.

"It was really shocking, the way she died. People don't deserve that, no matter what, but certainly not Kelly, who was such a good person, so kind and happy," said Tianna Daley. "(Her passing) really brought us together."

Mary Cortesi is creating a foundation in her daughter's memory that will award scholarships to a graduating Putnam Valley student and an Irish dance student and make an annual contribution to an organization that helps children.

"This is my giveback, being with the kids is my healing," she said. "It is a healing time for everyone."

And butterflies miraculously and beautifully appear for a short season every year.

Reach Barbara Livingston Nackman at bnackman@LoHud.com or 845-228-2272.

Powder Puff Fundraising Summary

Hi all – (Please honor keeping all $$$ information to yourself as the amounts raised are really just for our purposes and goal setting and given to all of you as part of the Fundraising Committee – I will send a separate email to Principal Bryant that he can announce to the school that will be basic information – if anyone asks you can say “our first fundraising event for Kelly went better than we expected AND we all had a great time!”)

First, everyone did an absolutely fantastic job! And, if someone can get also give Erin McCrudden(sp?) and Sam a big hug for me as well - they just jumped in and helped even though they had not known about the event but were there to watch the game and got caught up with us!

You are all the best kids (and parents) to have working on this committee because you give so openly, are ready to pitch in wherever and whenever and always have smiles on your faces – even when popcorn machine turns on the volunteer! And the fact that everyone took initiative to get things sold – to the point of running up and down the bleachers with popcorn and sticky cotton candy – all while trying to keep an eye on the game! Truly multi-tasking at its finest!

Thanks, as well go to our donation vendors – Abigail Kirsch, Cartwright, Tarrytown Church for Hot Dog Cart (couldn’t ask for better cart!), Joe Daley for getting the dog-gone (har!)cart working, anonymous hot dog people that Mary Jo hooked us up with, and the various beverage donators – including one particular beverage parent who dug into her pocket in order to keep the thirsty crowds at bay…yup…that’s the stuff heroes are made of!

Pictures we will get to cousin Matt to post on website (which is in process but not quite there yet but at least pictures will be!) and to Principal Bryant just in case.

Now for the GREAT NEWS!!:

1. Tshirts sold like crazy! But not at first – it took until the end of the game for those to fly off the table. Being that this was our biggest and almost ONLY expense item it was really important to estimate a correct number of shirts and a price point – both which we did considerably better than most big corporations I’ve worked with!! We ended up with only 6 shirts left and actually had people asking if they could order (separate email to Savannah is in process).
2. Hot dogs – we overestimated but being that they were donated it was out of our control on how many. We guessed that we probably sold 130-160 or so but probably had 100-140 left over – we’ll do better next time.
3. Cotton Candy / Popcorn – We will probably NOT do Cotton Candy again – didn’t fly off the table. Popcorn was a bigger.
4. Direct Donations – we had many people giving directly either through no change requested or direct contribution. We had one of our volunteers donate a substantial cash donation and two others contribute through equipment cost offset.

Time spent selling: 2 hours
Total REVENUE: $1,700
Total INCOME: $1,200

Consider the fact that we brought in that much revenue because we had to offset the original cost of the tshirts BEFORE you could start making money on them. We, therefore, brought in $850 per hour!!! That’s unbelievable considering the venue was mostly kids, was kind of last minute, AND many of the kids didn’t know about the event. I love it!! And so does Kelly!

I am so very proud of all of you and you all should be very proud of yourselves!! Thank you, thank you so much everyone for making this such a worthy event for a worthy cause.

Love you all!

Mary

The Kelly Cortesi "Touch a Child" Foundation

Mission: Education scholarship to graduating senior, Irish dance scholarship and a direct contribution to an organization that directly impacts less fortunate children ( i.e. less developed countries, etc.)

Vision: To impact the life of a child through direct contributions (vision needs work...)

Structure: Fund raising, Marketing/Communications, Branding, Merchandise, Operations

Marketing/Communications: Website (domain established by Matt - YEAH MATT!! no detail just yet www.touchachild.org) Need Business Plan, Mission/Vision, Communication Material (Tina - what can you start based on this information?), Logo (Matt and Gretch working on)

Branding: see Logo (butterflies and roses)

Merchandise: field hockey bands (more later), butterfly ornaments, butterfly pins, t-shirts, bears

Fundraising: lots of ideas so far but have got the crew working on the following.

1. Setting up a "Friends of Kelly" Club within the school to help not only run activities in the school but be my liaison for other events that we can work within - so far Rebecca, Savannah, Stephanie are onto this.
2. Focus on from now to December, January thru July have some other ideas that we can work on later - For homecoming/spirit week the kids are approaching the principal about the following:
   + Homecoming week - Kidnap the Principal (see attached website) initial idea became Kidnap Walter who just HAPPENS to be the quarterback! So, therefore, it now becomes Kidnap the Quarterback - where a hooded gang that is videotaped and filmed kidnap Walter, put him behind bars and "ransom" him off to the highest bidders - must pay to get him out in time for the homecoming game...love it!!
   + Special Field Hockey game - set up a table and ask for contributions, sell t-shirts, butterflies, teddy bears, food, etc. keep it simple - if we can't get the hockey game the girls want to do a Powder Puff game which is excellent
   + Halloween, on Friday this year, sell chocolate orange roses at the school
   + Between now and December talk to school about having a Sadie Hawkins dance - the kids say they don't have many dances during the year and that the ones they do have are kind of lame - if we can get this dance at a different venue we might have a lot of luck in making it a regular event - how cool!
   + Possible Womanless Beauty Pageant between now and end of year (see website on fundraising ideas)
   + Xmas ornaments, etc. for Xmas - need help finding and getting a deal
3. After Xmas planning a "Tribute to Kelly" show - see attached.
4. In Spring having a Golf Tournament which Mr. Bryant, new principal, said he will have no problem organizing - he's done about 20

Another meeting in two weeks and then as we roll out and get moving with year-end stuff we'll get planning for 2009. Can't wait for Jennifer to get here to help organize!!

I need to pull together ALL of the ideas we wrote down and brainstorming stuff but will try to get my secretary to decipher our cryptic notes this week. What we need immediately is to pull together letters about the foundation and a marketing/informational brochure (Tina help??? quick???).

Terry Kasouras has started to pull together a list of companies in the area to hit up when we're ready or provide them with a "letter" that introduces us, etc. She's got an initial list and wants to send letters - but I'm thinking that I don't want to go back again and again to some of the places but save some for key events - like the big businesses. Entergy runs Indian Point near us, which is a highly controversial Nuclear Plant. We're thinking that they would be excellent if they want to build good will in the area and would probably be willing to get their name highlighted on a lot of things. I think you and I (Hannah) need to chat about where you can assist and direct Terry with both the list and the method of approaching these companies.

Send mobile and I'll try to call you later!

Also, I need to send out an update to everyone - ack!!! This is now the update - disorganized but at least informational!!! Who can help where???