David and Kallie Marvin, the parents of Max Marvin, have graciously launched the Maximize Your Donation Project and are matching donations up to $100,000. The campaign launched on October 28th and as of November 25th, we have reached 30% of our goal. The campaign runs through December 31st.
The Marvins have been wanting to do this for a long time and found themselves in a position to finally be able to donate this amount in hopes of creating awareness for the Max Foundation and inspiring others to help the Foundation grow. ”Once someone has been touched by the loss of suicide directly, it kind of means something different. And unfortunately it’s happening to more and more people.”
One of the successful initiatives supported by the Max Foundation is Project 11, a mental health awareness curriculum for youth. “Project 11 has 5 schools joining this year and 2 more on the list for the upcoming year. Once educators find out how simple and complete it is to implement into their schools, we really feel like it’s going to take off,” David said of the program.” Our friends in Winnipeg with the True North Foundation have done such a tremendous job in designing and installing it. The Max Foundation donates all the books and program materials for mental wellness to each school that joins Project 11. With the growing expansion of Project 11 throughout Minnesota the biggest challenge for the Max Foundation is to raise enough funds to keep this fantastic programming free of charge to all schools that come on board.”
Kallie added, “Schools are starting to realize that there needs to be some type of program in place to help student wellness coordinators facilitate and help students. This is what Project 11 is, and when our small schools in the northern area realize the ease of it and how we are willing to help with it, excitement shows. We want to be ready and don’t want to tell anyone no.”
“The Max Foundation is only 3 years old and evolving. We’re not going to limit it and are excited to see where it will go in another 3 years,” David said. “We are going to work really hard to reach as many people as we can. When you do that, more people step up and realize the good we are doing. There are a lot of people out there in a position to help from something as small as the lemonade stand our neighbors did on 4th of July, to very, very generous checks people have made out to the foundation. It all matters.”
Kallie and David appreciate everything that everyone has done for the Max Foundation. The Maximize Your Donation Project is their way of saying thank you and continuing to help as many people as they can. “This is dear to our hearts and this is our focus. We hope our gift inspires others to get behind the Max Foundation.”