October 7, 1996 Name Address City, ST Zip Dear Name: In the summer of 1993, the Marion County Commission on Youth began what can best be described as a "new era" in its history. MCCOY was reorganized as an independent, not-for-profit agency, separate from local government. It retained, however, the same mission with which it had been charged from its inception: to serve as a catalyst for effective, coordinated, and collaborative service delivery to youth in our community. For the past three years, MCCOY has been actively engaged in accomplishing this declared mission in cooperation with many others: youth service providers, youth, funding bodies, and interested citizens to name a few. We have met with a number of successes along the way, most notably the Summer Fun Line, the Metro Summer Bus Pass, and the development of ten neighborhood youth councils. A Providers Council and a Youth Coalition are building relationships that will hopefully bear great fruit in the years to come. The formation of The Community Academy, a pilot project directed at expelled students from local school systems, has come about as a result of MCCOY's efforts to mobilize community agencies in response to a pressing issue. McCoy is actively represented and working with numerous community collaborations where we regularly raise our voice to speak out for the inclusion of young people in both decision-making and program planning processes. One concrete example is a joint project undertaken in the United Northwest Area in partnership with The Junior League of Indianapolis and Community Partnerships with Youth from Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a team, these three organizations are working with neighborhood youth and adults to build a "Caring Neighborhood with Youth" , mobilizing the assets of young people and adults as partners to build a better neighborhood for all. Since its re-organization, MCCOY has established its unique niche within the community by refraining from direct service programming and focusing on what it does best: helping to identify youth needs, convening groups of individuals and organizations which can address those needs, and moving toward collaborative solutions. McCoy has only one interest: the well being of Marion County's young people. McCoy invites the support of The __ Company Foundation in the amount of $10,000.00 to support such activities as: ---- the co-ordination of youth leadership training and youth empowerment efforts at the neighborhood level by means of neighborhood-based youth councils; ---- the promotion of youth employment opportunities; ---- the facilitation of ongoing discussions regarding effective and efficient youth service delivery; ---- the provision of technical assistance and guidance to neighborhoods which seek positive youth-adult relationships; ---- the development of community-wide supports for the positive growth of all Marion County young people. In the last several years, the business and corporate community has recognized that the positive development of youth is directly related to the development of a competent workforce. Youth who are supported and encouraged by both a family and a society that values Them have a much greater likelihood of becoming productive and contributing members of adult society. While we have made significant inroads, there remains much to be done and it is clear that we cannot do it alone. We seek the financial support of the Foundation to help us be successful in creating the atmosphere in our community where young people can grow and develop well. Your contribution will enable us to both continue and expand the good work we have begun in making Indianapolis a city famous for its commitment to youth and families. In our fund raising efforts to date, we have received the support of local government, foundations, and corporations as well as the personal financial commitments of individual MCCOY Board members. We believe there is no more appropriate time to have a coordinated and collaborative effort to financially support the services MCCOY offers to the community as a whole. Thanking you in advance for your support, we remain, Sincerely, John T. Neighbours Philip B. Roby President Treasurer John F. Brandon Executive Director