My Friends,

Six weeks ago, I accepted the call to become Chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma. As a two-time childhood cancer survivor, the mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is very personal to me.

With three small, beautiful children in my home, I am very sensitive to the painful reality that all our children are potentially one doctor’s appointment away from having their worlds turned upside down in a dizzying array of hospital visits, needle-sticks and surgeries.

 During a family’s darkest hour, the Make-A-Wish Foundation provides a shining beacon of light; a chance to escape the bonds of sickness, if even for just a moment.

 Yet, these are extraordinary times.

Kids don’t understand the economics of a recession. Their cancers don’t share our sense of bad timing. While some charities can scale back their non-essential services, MAWFO has no non-essential services. We don’t have multiple functions and departments. We only do one thing: We grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.

The average Wish costs $7000 and at this moment, there are 94 Oklahoma children waiting to have their Wishes granted. Many of these children don’t have the luxury of patience.

Please take a moment of your time right now and help make Wishes come true with a donation to Oklahoma’s Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Please call 5 friends and ask them to do the same. Forward this email. Pass a hat at your office. Call a generous friend or relative. Clean out coins from your car and home. Take a tax deduction. Call 918-492-WISH.

 Donate online right now at: http://bit.ly/OSdWW

 Or, come see me in person November 17th, 18th, or 19th at LaFortune Park in Tulsa as KRMG hosts our 4th Annual Stories of Light broadcast to benefit Make-A-Wish. All money raised goes to Oklahoma children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

 To put my money where my ‘ask’ is, I’m personally committing $1,000 to the Stories of Light campaign this year (which is only $83/month or less than $3/day).

 Thank you very kindly for your generosity,

 Joe Kelley

Joe Kelley is the host of KRMG Morning News

On December 8th there will be a decisive vote on the Bond Issue for Broken Arrow Public Schools. We encourage you to get the word out and Vote NO on this ballot.

Why do we ask this?  It is really very simple and straightforward:  There are “needs” and there are “wants”…and there are too many “wants” in this bond.

1.    Broken Arrow is the highest taxed city, in the highest taxed county in the state.
2.    This bill raises property taxes even higher over the next 15 years. In this economy – enough is enough!
3.    This is a $295 million tax increase, which is believed to be one of the largest school bond requests in state history.
4.    It is full of frivolous fees (wants):
·    Nearly $3,000,000.00 is allocated for undefined “fees” alone!
·    $11,000,000.00 for a new indoor football stadium!
·    Larger media center: $21,375,000.00
5.    It is a long term burden for schools: They will be left to pay huge interest amounts for years!
6.    This bond essentially maxes-out Broken Arrow’s debt ceiling.  What if a need arises later?  Where will Broken Arrow turn to raise those funds?  More taxes?
7.    This is a mis-prioritization of the budget. The Broken Arrow police department can’t even afford to hire new officers, and they want to build an indoor football arena?  
8.    Citizens are the only ‘check’ on the spending habits of school boards.  Spending other people’s money is the most addictive thing in the world.
9.    This bond goes to show that once a tax is implemented – it never goes away!
10.    This is a package even Santa wouldn’t deliver! 

Under the guise of providing for a growing community, the Bond is an enormous debt!  The real needs are lost, and pushed to the background when, instead of honing in on what is really important, this bond serves as a one stop shop for the wants of school districts.

It is true that Broken Arrow schools have needs, such as permanent classrooms to dispose of portable classrooms and better technology, but this bond covers erroneous wants. This is your chance to hold the local government’s feet to the fire and let them know that you want efficiency and integrity in their handling of your hard earned dollar.

Here’s what you can do to help:  
·    Get to the polls on December 8th and Vote NO!
·    Visit our website: http://nobabonds.com/  and sign up for e-mail updates.
·    Tell your friends about this bond – and take them to the polls on Dec 8th!  
·    Spread the attached 10 points about the bill to your fellow activists.

The Chamber recently sent around an e-mail asking employers to “identify those living in the Broken Arrow Public Schools area and encourage them to vote yes.” Something must be amuck if they are taking the risk of asking people to “persuade” voters to cast their ballot this way. What does the Chamber stand to win if this bond passes?

To protect your community and make sure that education, and not money, is the focal point of the Broken Arrow Public Schools.  Please join your fellow community members and raise awareness about the vote on December 8th!  

Remember to visit: http://www.NoBAbonds.com/ for the most up to date information!

Americans For Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates, engages, and mobilizes citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth.