MARCH MADNESS
2012 NCAA BASKETBALL POOL
March has arrived, and with it, our own hysteria we call March Madness. From 1997 through 20011, this homespun tournament has contributed over $56,000 to charitable endeavors. The March Madness Endowment Fund , established just four seasons ago is well into five figures. We will continue to grow the fund this year with your generous contributions. The endowed fund is administered through the Warrick County Community Foundation (www.warrickcommunityfoundation.org) and the Community Foundation Alliance (nine counties of southern Indiana at www.alliance9.org ). We will also be making a charitable gift to Helping Hands of Warrick County (see additional information below regarding our charities.) All additional moneys generated through our basketball pool will go to these entities. This will include the proportion of the entry fees and additional contributions.
There are NO format changes to this year?s pool! NCAA basketball tournament selections and seedings
will come out Sunday evening, March 11th. Entry into the tournament closes with the tip off of the first
round games beginning Thursday morning, March 15th. For each entry, fill out the form all the way
through to the finals, selecting the winner of each game.
Each entry donation is $20 (twenty dollars). 4$ (four dollars) of every fee will be donated to charity.
We encourage you, plead with you, beg you to make an additional contribution, (as the vast majority of
you so kindly do). Remember any additional moneys donated qualify as a tax-deduction, so if you
desire proof of such, enclose a separate check made out to the charity (The March Madness
Endowment Fund or The Warrick County Community Foundation.) I will forward the check (as is)
with the rest of the donations.
The remainder of the pool will be distributed to the winners as follows:
1st --- 40% 6th --- 4%
2nd --- 20% 7th --- 3%
3rd --- 10% 8th --- 3%
4th --- 7% 9th --- 2%
5th --- 5% 10th --- 2% Last Place --- 4%
The website has been updated. (Annual thanks goes to Gary Gurtcheff, our webmaster.) Additionally,
we will maintain an index page for you to review rules, interim letters, charity information, periodic updates,
and other items of interest, in addition to the standings. We hope you will take the time to peruse the
site.
2012 Charity Information
We are in our fourteenth (16th) season of March Madness and charitable works.
Our March Madness tournament was established in 1997. That year, we made a charitable
contribution of $250 to the Advanced Life Support Consortium, local fire and paramedic personnel, to
help with the purchase of a defibrillator. Since that time, our money raised and donated has increased on a
yearly basis to over $6000 per year recently. We would hope that trend continues and with your
assistance, we are confident it will.
Visit the Past Charity Information page to see where the monies have gone in past years.
This year, we will continue to grow our recently established March Madness Endowment Fund,
benefitting children and youth services. For more information concerning this fund, administered through
the Community Foundation Alliance and the Warrick County Community Foundation, please contact me
directly. Further information regarding the good works of the WCCF, can be obtained via the website,
www.warrickcommunityfoundation.org
In 2012 at the conclusion of the tournament, we would also like to make a contribution to a
worthwhile organization, Helping Hands of Warrick County.
The following information is taken from a recent Evansville Courier & Press story.
“When it began several years ago, the mission of Helping Hands of Warrick County was to create a healthier community by promoting healthier families. The idea is to teach new parents good habits to help their babies grow.Sharon James, a nurse at the Warrick County Health Department, is one of seven board member for Helping Hands. She said Helping Hands uses a voucher system to help new parents learn some basic skills and provide diapers and clothes for children up to 24 months.
"We want to get parents to do the right things to take care of their children," said James. "We want them to learn to be better parents and how to provide for the health and welfare of their children."
The program is fairly simple. New or soon-to-be parents can earn vouchers for attending prenatal classes, nutritional classes, bring children for scheduled immunizations.
"There are some people who really like the program and really use it," said James. "But not everyone who receives a voucher actually uses it. In our (health department) office, we give vouchers to everyone who comes in for immunizations. But that doesn't mean you have to use it."
The vouchers can be taken to the Helping Hands Store, located inside the First Baptist Church at the corner of Walnut and Fifth Street in Boonville. The store is open each Thursday from noon to 2 p.m. It offers diapers and wipes, along with some other items.