Dear Friends and Supporters,
I am the Manager for the Lamar American Little League 12 Year Old All Stars out of Richmond, Texas. On July 22 we won the
Texas East State Title in Tyler, Texas. We will represent Texas East in the Southwest Regional Tournament in Waco the weekend
of August 1. Eight teams from seven states (Texas East, Texas West, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana,
and Mississippi) will compete for one spot at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on August 15, 2008.
Our team has been playing Select baseball and working towards this goal since June of 2007. We played numerous tournaments
last summer and fall to prepare for this All Star run. We are currently undefeated with a record of 12-0 since we started All Star
tournament play on June 24th. We have out-scored our opponents 145 -21 and out-hit our opponents 118 to 26. Our pitching
staff has an ERA of 0.92. While I am not a huge statistics guy, these are truly impressive numbers against the best teams in the
Houston area and all of East Texas. These numbers serve as testimony for the hard work and dedication these kids have put forth.
As many of you are aware, Little League can bring out the best and worst in the kids and the parents of those involved. I am
even more proud of our parents and their true support and sacrifice for the good of the team. The reason we have been successful
is that all of the team members have put the team before themselves, and the parents have played a big role in this success.
Nothing illustrates this point more than the East Texas Championship Game we played last Tuesday. Ramon Gonzalez had a no
hitter going into the 6th inning and with two outs left to play was lifted for our closer Reid Garrett. There was no concern from
Ramon about the statistics - only the victory for the team. Reid finished the game and preserved the no hitter for a 7-0 victory
(our 12th straight win). All of our games have featured different individuals rising to the occasion for the team in exactly the same
fashion.
With winning comes a financial burden on the team families with the purchase of uniforms, equipment, and especially in their
travels to support the players who strive to represent Lamar Little League and our community. We have already incurred expenses
of over $1,200 per family ($15,600 for the 13 families involved) in hotel accommodations at our Sectional Tournament in New
Braunsfels and the State Tournament in Tyler. This does not include any travel, meals, equipment and additional training costs
incurred.
As we prepare for a longer and even more expensive trip to Waco and hopefully beyond next week, we feel it is
appropriate to respectfully request your financial support of our All Star team. Any funds that you could provide will greatly
assist our team and our families in defraying a portion of the expenses associated with our All Star tournaments.
The document attached is a sponsorship letter for our All Star team. All donations are fully tax deductible on your federal
income tax return. If you have the means, please help support the team or convince those in your organization who do to do the
same. We will welcome donations of any denomination! Donate at least $50 and receive your choice of an autographed
ball or an 8” x 10” color photo autographed by all 13 team members. Donors of $500 or more will also get a field sign at
our home fields at George Park in Richmond, Texas.
Please write “American 12 Year Old
All-Stars” in the memo section of your check and mail to:
Information Officer, Lamar Little
League
8523 Old Quarry Drive
Sugar Land, Texas 77479
I will be happy to visit with you personally to discuss the usage and distribution of your donation at any time. Please call
my cell at (713)408-4599.
Please continue to pray and support this great group of young men as they pursue their dreams. I will continue to update
you on our progress and future success. The Fort Bend Herald ( www.herald-coaster.com ) also covers the team.
Thanks for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Mike Bertness
Manager, Lamar American 12 Year Old All Stars
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