May 05, 2016
Dear Sir or Madam,
Yaateeh, our names are Owen Willeto, Clint Willeto and we are 08 and 06 years old. We both attend Wingate Elementary School in Fort Wingate, NM and are in third and first grades. We live in the community of White Cliffs, east of Gallup and our parents are Patrick Willeto and Cheryl Benally. We are of the Water Flows Together clan born for the Red Bottom clan.
Today, we are informing you of a project that we both feel very dear to and request for your assistance. In light of the recent tragic events that have taken place on the Navajo Nation, we feel that it is our duty to help the young students who attend Ojo Amarillo Elementary School in Fruitland, NM. We understand that it is probably very difficult to deal with the loss of their beloved classmate, the late Ashlynne Mike. As students ourselves, we have spoken with our parents about our feelings of the loss and also the feelings her brother, Ian who survived the ordeal.
During times of difficulty we’ve always found comfort in our big teddy bear that our cousin Faith Holyan gave us and we know a teddy bear or stuffed animal will help the students and classmates left behind. We are asking for donations of new or used stuffed animals or teddy bears. We are able to provide a decorated box that we can set up for your area. We would like the teddy bear/stuffed animal drive to begin right away and run until Monday May 16, 2016. Our family will be delivering the collected teddy bears/stuffed animals to Ojo Amarillo Elementary School the next day.
We are hoping to collect enough teddy bears/stuffed animals for the entire school which has a student body of 474. The idea came to us while watching the news and noticing that the Albuquerque Police Department give out these items to young children who are afraid. Our mother can be reached at (505) 728-1463 if you need more information. We thank you for your time and consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
Owen Willeto
Clint Willeto
UPDATE: Teddy bear drop off locations are : AJ Tires, Nu Kreation Hair Salon, Rio West Mall office, Shima Grill & Transport, and the UPS Store.
