L.A.W.K. “Ladies Armed With Knowledge”

Dear Sir or Madam, 
 
My name is Cathrin Savage and I am a Program Coordinator for L.A.W.K. – Ladies Armed with Knowledge- an innovative program aimed to fight hopelessness and apathy among young ladies (age 12 and up) in Columbia, SC. L.A.W.K.’s mission is to provide positive mentoring to young ladies by working together on building inner power and confidence by arming them with knowledge to handle life’s struggles and tribulations.
 
There are many young women in the Midlands who need our support to live up to their full potential. The teen pregnancy numbers are shockingly high. More and more teenagers drop out of high school, join gangs or lose focus and hope in our very confusing times.  L.A.W.K. wants to provide a safe haven for those young ladies and arm them with knowledge. As you’ve probably heard the saying “Knowledge is Power”- we at L.A.W.K. believe the weapon against the apathy of our youth is knowledge. Knowledge of the choices they have, the opportunities that are out there for them, the abilities and strength they possess and overall the power that knowledge and smart decisions hold.
 
L.A.W.K. was founded by Chandra Cleveland, a Columbia, S.C. native. She worked 17 years as a Deputy for the Richland County Sheriff Department. During her time of service Chandra received high honors, such as the Richland County Deputy of the Year Award 2001 and SC School Resource Officer of the Year 2002.  Charitable work was always an essential part of her efforts at the Sheriff Department. In 2007 Chandra decided to leave the public service and open a security company to serve the region in an area that she thought needed improvement. She opened Palmetto Protection Agency, Inc., a security company where integrity and safety are the top priority. She received the ABWA (American Business Woman Association) Business Woman of the Year Award 2008 during her first year in business. However, Chandra strived to do more for the community she grew up in and which helped her to prosper into the successful woman that she is today. That is when L.A.W.K. came to life.
 
At the moment L.A.W.K is working on offering young ladies an opportunity of their lifetime by allowing them to be part of a unique summer retreat. During the retreat 20 young ladies will get the chance to experience a challenge filled weekend at a local hotel. The weekend will include inspirational speakers, intense workshops and 30-minute “Chandra’s Challenges”. There will be intense group discussions with mentors.

The participants will share some of their struggles and the group will work on developing strategies to overcome them.
 
This is the point where we want to ask for your help. As we believe that the young pioneers of our society are of importance to you, too. We would appreciate any kind of monetary donation to make the “In the KNOW” Retreat 2009 and future projects of L.A.W.K possible.
 
I cannot tell you enough how thankful we are for you taking time to hear about our cause. We know your time is valuable and appreciate it therefore even more. We hope you will become one of “L.A.W.K.’s Hero’s”, as all donors and their contributions will be listed on our “Wall of Fame” located in our offices. They also will be featured in a brochure documenting L.A.W.K.’s “In the KNOW” Summer Retreat 2009 and in our monthly newsletter. All “V.I.P.” sponsors (donations $500.00 and up) will have the opportunity to place an ad in the mentioned publications and their logo will be displayed on the official summer retreat t-shirts (the size of the ad will depend on the exact amount of donation). This letter and our letter of Thank you indicating your exact donation are sufficient documentation of your donation for tax purposes.
 
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] visit our website http://www.lawk.org.

Sincerely, 
Cathrin Savage
 

 L.A.W.K. “Ladies Armed With Knowledge”
2601 Read Street Suite I-8, Columbia, SC 29204
http://www.lawk.org/

L.A.W.K. is a Non-Profit Organization (26-1402263)
DBA- Palmetto Youth Protection
803-223-9314