Bound For Greatness
Dear Owner/President of Operations:
I need your partnership support with my national Bound For Greatness celebrity student leadership, wellness, and stop bullying tour. I'm a national on-air, motivational, television personality, formerly with NBC Universal Television, 10 years. I work with children, families in crisis, and battered women on television. Please be so kind to call me this week.
My leadership programs are having unprecedented success in the schools, community and on TV. For 24 years, I have used my personal savings to fund youth enrichment programs and tours and I bottomed out. I was homeless in my car for over 8 months. No one knew it because I never stop speaking to the kids. I continued to tour the country motivating and encouraging thousands of students to excel academically and to do what they truly love and were passionate about. The results have been absolutely astonishing: There is cheering, screaming, and standing ovations, some students and teachers are moved to tears of joy and hope. They are saying it is a presentation that they will remember for a lifetime.
Superintendents of Schools and principals are sending us feedback letters regarding the program. I can only say, I am lost for words. You have to read them. From my parked car and sleepless nights to a powerful impact on the lives of our future leaders, children. We never know what we are capable of achieving until we achieve the unthinkable. I have never reached out to your organization for partnership support. Today, I am reaching out to you because the schools and children need your help.
Bullying has become a systemic issue nationwide, we are losing too many children to suicide, bullying related issues and senseless acts of violence. This tour means a lot to me, it's personal. Two teens we mentored long term, a 13 year old middle school student and a high school student were murdered. Both students excelled academically in our Bound For Greatness Program. We cannot bring the children we lost back, but we can help and save thousands of children, particularly children who are at-risk, in crisis and those who are being bullied. Our tour is expected to reach well-over 200,000 students in person. The tour is in honor of every child who lost his or her life to bullying related issues.
I am starting at the top with you because marketing departments have a proclivity to send rejection letters swiftly, particularly when there is short notice. You have the power, the voice to bring this program to fruition nationwide. Naysayers thought I was dreaming too big when I became a speaker because I wanted to help millions globally. They are supporters now after seeing me on the Oprah Show and NBC Television inspiring millions. My vision and mission to be a positive change agent, a difference maker in life is real. I am not out to prove the naysayers wrong. My focus is on solutions not what some believe is impossible.
The sponsorship cost for a full day program at a school is $5,000. If you have corporate team sponsors and several players who want to participate, sponsor a school that would be awesome too. If your team sponsors one school it is a success. In return for your support, your team's name will appear on our nbctelevision.org Pro Sports Partnership page for five years. I am also going to mention your team on my new talk show pilot and featured profile documentary that will be on a major cable TV network shortly.
There will be positive media coverage: radio, major TV network, newspaper, magazine, and social media. There will be Super Champs, current and former NFL/NBA players joining me, and a few high profile celebrities. Millions will be aware of the tour, thousands will be going to the nbctelevision.org website. I will speak to over 200,000 students in person. My first 10,000 fitness books will include the names of the first 100 corporate partners of the tour. I would love to have 100 plus CEO’s and Presidents of companies standing with me on-air as Oprah talks to me about the success of the tour and value of the program. I want to give credit to the team of professionals who made this inspirational campaign possible. Positive exposure guaranteed.
For Immediate References Regarding Our Programs E-mail
• Dr. Kenneth Hamilton, Superintendent of Mount Vernon City School District, KHamilton@mtvernoncsd.org
• Dr. Garnell Bailey, Assistant Superintendent of Pleasantville Public Schools, bailey.garnell@pps-nj.us
• Beverly B MacKay, Superintendent of Indian Hills Regional High School District, bmackay@ril.org
• Lewis Benfatti, Principal, Hopatcong, NJ, and Former New York Jets player, lbenfatti@hopatcongschools.org
• Jeannie Holman, Supervisor of Instruction, Passaic Technical High School, NJ, jholman@pcti.tec.nj.us
• Dr. Kevin West, Superintendent of Roselle Public Schools, kwest@roselleschools.org
• Michael Piacenza, Assistant Director of Unity Charter School, NJ, michael.piacenza@unitycharterschool.org
• Whitney Cohen, Anti-bullying Specialist, Lillian Steen Elementary School, NJ, wcohen@BogotaBOE.com
• Berthenia Harmon Carolina, Principal, School Number 23, Elizabeth, NJ, harmonbe@elizabeth.k12.nj.us
• Captain Mallory Jones, Marshall Department, Augusta, GA, mjones@augustaga.gov.
Captain Jones was a guest speaker at our leadership program in Augusta, Ga.
Integrity, character, positive role model, high standards, moral conduct, tolerance, leading by example and honorable leaders skills are tangible characteristics that you expect from your employees. Those are the standards and cardinal rules I live by and teach students in the Bound for Greatness Program. While you are leading your company, creating growth and maximizing the results in the corporate world, I’m using my celebrity influence to direct students toward academic leadership initiatives and higher achievement. I am helping children maximize their full potential. Most importantly, I am imparting in students all of the tangible characteristics that leaders like yourself use daily to win big in life. Students learn life skills that are not being taught in schools and classrooms. I know you support various programs during the year, I would like for you to include Pro Athletes, Inc. Marketing executives usually make these decisions; respectfully, I would like for you to give the okay on this program.
I will close with this, life is a journey, our history follows us. What we do and say is attached to us for life, it becomes our legacy both the good and bad. My personal journey and commitment in the community is a reflection of my dream: being a productive citizen for life, touching others in a positive way, providing support and relief to those in need, lifting up and inspire people like my grandmother did, being a part of global solution as opposed to the problems, helping children and people of all ethnicity tap into their maximum potential like my coaches, teachers and parents helped me. That was a childhood dream I was passionate about, a dream I pursued I am living. My body of work in life is a visual picture of my character, dreams, goals, spirit, soul, heart, love, passion, joy, faith and core values. It’s not who I am but it tells a story about the man I am and have become. This tour is bigger than me! The children and parents will be elated when they hear about the opportunity you’re affording them. My partnership offer, I think, is very reasonable given all that I am offering in return.
I am going to call your office while I am taping a show to see if you are joining us. I have no idea if I will receive a yes or no. What I do know, America will see us doing our best to create positive outcomes for children in the community. They will see dogged effort, planning and strategic action from two people who care. As long as I continue to try, keep knocking on doors, calling business leaders and walking cross-country for our children, I will open new doors of opportunity for them, opportunities I didn’t have when I was a child. This is more than a tour, it is a life mission.
Together we can change children's lives for the best, inspiring students to aim higher, excel academically, and refrain from bullying. At the end of my national youth leadership tour with your support this year, a homeless person or family with children will have an apartment to live in for a year, a place to call home. I look forward to speaking with you. Have an amazing day.
Best regards,
Duane West
National On-Air TV Personality
Bound For Greatness Program
