L6 Foundation update 4/12/07
jeffrey....@gmail.com
Contributions have surpassed the $2000 mark. A great start for The L6
Foundation. Thank you! We have created "Our Contributors" on the
website to recognize the generosity of our donors. Donations will be
updated on a monthly basis. We have been advised that this is a
standard in the nonprofit sector (exact amounts of the donations will
not be disclosed).
We are in the process of filing the paperwork to receive 501(c)(3)
status. It will be filed in a matter of days (it was rather lengthy to
compose). It could take 4-6 months for final approval. However, for
donations and sponsorships the tax status is retroactive so your
donations will be tax deductible.
We have already had lengthy in-depth meetings with Hope Happens (a
research foundation) and The Brain Injury Association of Missouri.
They are excited at the potential of The L6 Foundation and the
benefits to TBI as we work together. We were told that not only are
these services and cause much needed, but also no one else is
currently providing it or is in conflict with our mission. We are
meeting with the executive director of The Center for Head Injury
Services based in STL on Tuesday, April 17th.
Our Board of Directors is now at 5 members:
Jason Salinardi, Attorney
Travis Liebig, Branch Manager - Regions Bank
Terry Sherman, Accountant
Dr. David Brody, Top neurologist/TBI researcher at Washington
University
Sarah Scholten, Neuro-nurse
We are in the process of finding two more board members. One with a
marketing/public relations background and one who is a TBI survivor
and current success story. Please, contact us if you know of a
potential match with these qualifications and would be a good fit for
The L6 Foundation.
Amy Bratton is our Executive Director; Jeff Laughlin is founder
(neither are members of the Board of Directors). We have committee
chairman in place for the following: The L6 Foundation Care Team,
Website development, The L6 5K Run/Walk, and The L6 Golf Scramble. We
are looking for committee chairman interested in the following:
Volunteers, Marketing, The L6 Trivia Night, and The L6 Dinner/Dance/
Auction. If you are interested or know of someone interested in taking
on one of these rewarding challenges, please contact us at
L6foun...@gmail.com.
We have written to Bob Woodruff, the famous reporter who suffered a
TBI in the line of duty. He was in a medically induced coma, and now
has significantly recovered and wants to advance the field of TBI. We
are inquiring about his and his family's potential interest in joining
together to more quickly benefit those suffering from TBI. We did
receive a response (almost immediately!) from Dave Woodruff, the
Chairman. He expressed interest in working together in the future and
wanted to be in constant contact with The L6 Foundation. If you want
to write to him and his family, please contact them by email
(in...@bobwoodrufffamilyfund.org) and tell them what you know about our
foundation. The more people who write, the more potential for action!
We are beginning work to put together The L6 Foundation Care Team.
There are several potential legal requirements we must look into
before this service becomes completely functional. In short order, we
hope to have TBI families benefiting.
We have our first family already utilizing our website's Patient
Updates link (a free service provided for families to better
communicate their loved ones progress/condition). Hopefully, more
families will see the benefit of this service and utilized it to
better manage and cope with their situation.
Mark your calendars if you wish to participate in our first 2 fund
raising events. The L6 Golf Scramble will take place on June 29, 2007
at The Landings in Chesterfield Valley. The L6 5K Run/Walk will take
place on August 25, 2007 in the Chesterfield Valley. Information will
be posted to the website as it becomes more available. For now, plan
on attending and please, ask your companies if they will be event
sponsors. We had around 1400 people at last years 5K, with a goal of
2000 for the '07 event.
As communications of the past have stated, the foundation has and will
remain completely separate from the events and activities associated
with the time period from July 2005 through February 2007. Full
disclosure and accountability are cornerstones to the success of The
L6 Foundation. What was not feasible then (based on time available and
priorities) and is now feasible, which is a full disclosure of the
previous Laura Laughlin Medical Fund. It took a ton of digging through
records and file cabinets, but here is a summary of the numbers
(rounded to the nearest $100) and explanation for the 19+ month
period:
Contributions (Paypal) - $53,900
Contributions (all other) - $161,900
Total contributions - $215,800
Laura's medical care costs - $184,100
Burial/funeral service costs - $21,900
Total costs - $206,000
Remaining balance - $9,800
As already determined, the remaining balance will be used for the
purpose of starting, building, and growing The L6 Foundation.
As has been stated in the past, you have our complete thanks and
appreciation. Without your support and generosity, Laura and her
family would have been living a totally different scenario. Laura
would have been placed on Medicaid, removed from St. Johns Skilled
Nursing Facility, and placed on a 2-3 year waiting list to get back
in. Essentially, your contributions allowed us to select the facility,
we deemed as the most capable to provide her with the daily care she
desperately needed.
We are hoping to post Laura's funeral service videos to the www.lauralaughlin.com
website. This is completely separate from the work of the foundation.
One file is the service itself (audio only) lasting about 1.5 hours.
The other file is the slideshow presented at the service (audio and
video) lasting about 18 minutes. For whatever reason (maintaining
family privacy, inability to travel, etc.), we know that many of you
were unable to attend. It was a tremendous tribute and honor to
Laura's life and we wish to share it.
Special thanks to:
St. Johns Lutheran Church - For leading a wonderful service on our
Laura's purpose-driven life.
Kathy Sherman and Bob Anders - For putting together a touching
slideshow for all of us to view.
All the service speakers - Your presentations were all well thought
out, prepared, appropriate, and highly moving reflections of Laura's
life.
Sorry, this was so long. In the future, they should be much more
brief.
Our deepest gratitude,
The Laura K. Laughlin L6 Brain Injury Foundation
As we grow as a foundation and work within Our VISION and Our MISSION,
we can achieve great things together! Much is needed for those
afflicted by TBI and families put in the difficult position of caring
for loved ones suffering from TBI. How can we say no? Please, decide
to join us. We can make a difference... together!