First and foremost, thank you to the members of this forum that have already donated over $200 towards 2012's giving campaigns. As Ryan James mentioned in his initial post, I have partnered with former Gopher Rod Ganther to create Gridiron Giving. Each day, we are receiving request from former players, offering their support as well.
We have a few more things to wrap up before we really launch our marketing efforts, so bare with us. We are finalizing our official website soon, which will take over for the one that Rod put together in 10 minutes that gave a centralized location for people to donate through. Also, we are in the final stages of creating our mission and vision statements. Sometimes, this is the most important aspect of a non-profit organization.
We will be hosting multiple fundraising events throughout 2012. We have partnered with a few local establishments to host silent auctions, dinners, and a multitude of other events. If you are a business owner and you would like to help, please let me know. We are currently looking to finalize our official GG logo, so if there are any graphic designers on this forum, please reach out to me. Plus, if your employer has giving campaigns where they match donations by employees (like my company, Thomson Reuters), please let me know. I would love to get a few former players (big names and myself) to share our story and what we are trying to accomplish.
After all the 501(c)(3) paperwork is filed, we will be a tax-exempt, non-profit organization! We look forward to your support as we grow.
Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend and looking forward to a great 2012.
Thanks again,
Ryan Thorman
(no-name O-Lineman under Mason 97-00.)
