Dear Family and Friends, I am in tenth grade now at Marco De Niza High School and because of my academic achievement and leadership abilities I have been nominated to represent my school and community as a member of the national youth leadership forum on national security in Washington DC. The National Youth Leadership Forum nominates exceptional students from around the country to attend an experiential educational program. As you can imagine, this will be a powerful experience, enabling me to interact with many prominent men and women whom most of us only read about in the news. My Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Stolze and Sergeant First Class Star who are two of my ROTC leaders that nominated me for this wonderful opportunity based on my actions and efforts. Now I need you to do what you can to afford me this once in a lifetime chance. Attending this program will enable me to further my interest in the field of The United States Military and reach my career goals of becoming an officer and serving my Country. I maintain a strong GPA, am involved in the ROTC program as well as a leader in the Raiders Team which competes state wide and I recently earned rank of Staff Sergeant . Imagine if you had been given this opportunity for a life-changing experience when you were in school and were unable to participate for lack of funds. That is why I am writing to you today. My participation in the program depends on whether I can raise $2500.00 in sponsorships. The program tuition is $1590.00 and my travel to the program will be $500.00 for airfare and I will also be needing monies for airport shuttle to and from the hotel and I must provide my own lunches for the week which I estimate in all to be another $410.00. My parents and brothers are prepared to do what they can to assist me even in these hard economic times and have graciously committed to cover all of my travel expenses. While there efforts are enormous I find myself still short my tuition which must be paid no later than June 10th 2011. Your support for my sponsorship request would be greatly appreciated. I realize times are hard and I don’t take the matter lightly but believe if we all pull together as a family we can reach this goal and my promise to you is that you will you see your gift grow in me and you will be proud in what you have all had a hand in creating. Thank you for taking the time to read and support if you can. If you can’t help financially I hope that you will say a prayer for me to achieve my dreams. God Bless, Ian Henderson If you would like to mail a check or money order instead. It can be mailed to: Ian Henderson/National Youth Leadership Forum 1867 E. Magdalena Dr Tempe, AZ 85283 National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security (NYLF/NS): Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense 1919 Gallows Road, Suite 700 Vienna, VA 22182 Phone: (703) 584-9402 Toll-Free Phone: (866) 441-8704 E-mail: ns_adm@nylf.org