YEAR IN REVIEW 2014

THE ELEGANT WAY FOUNDATION®

A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER

We didn’t just wish for it—we worked for it!

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Having spent most of my adult life teaching etiquette and serving in various nonprofit capacities, I had always envisioned forming a charity to share my expertise and resources and give underserved children and young adults access to valuable life skills.

Two years ago, I began the arduous process of streamlining a 17-year etiquette business into a nonprofit organization.

This decision was a labor of love…with emphasis on the labor. Following months

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of blood (if you count paper cuts), sweat, and tears (mostly mine), we were able to establish the necessary framework, achieve initial milestones, and obtain official 501(c)(3) status in the fall of 2014.

Today, The Elegant Way Foundation® (EWF) is an educational nonprofit organization providing character and etiquette educational resources for children and young adults and fundraising opportunities to charities, missions, and schools.

To many, the word etiquette implies behavior that is “formal,” “phony,” or “too PC” (politically correct),” but times have changed. The decorum depicted in the popular PBS series of Downton Abbey has long been out of fashion. With each generation, some formalities fade into the tapestry of history, while character and core values remain an essential, lasting thread. We believe when etiquette is viewed in this way, most of us would want to affirm and model this behavior as members of any society. As such, The Elegant Way brand refers to “an authentic way to conduct oneself and treat others—gracious, kind, respectful behavior,” a philosophy we’ve upheld since 1994.

OUR BELIEF AND BRAND

OUR MISSION & VISION

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OUR FIRST YEAR’S MILESTONES

Our mission:

To promote manners and civility by providing educational programs, financial resources, and volunteer support for the benefit of children

and young adults.

Our vision:

To empower children and young adults with the social tools

necessary to succeed in school and beyond; to provide value to our

charity and school partners; and to improve the human condition

worldwide.

October 19, 2013 – The Elegant Way Foundation Launches KAMP® - Kids’ Arts & Manners Program at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. To read more…

March 25, 2014 - Loretta Neff and The Elegant Way Foundation® announce the launch of their first children’s educational book, Tame Your Manners at KAMP® (Kids’ Animals & Manners Program) Safari, created as an enhancement for parents and caregivers and fundraising tool for charities, missions, and schools. To read more…

April 24, 2014 - The Elegant Way Foundation® Collaborates with Children’s Charities to Help Bridge the Lost Social Skills Gap. To read more…

May 28, 2014 – Educational Children’s Book Tame Your Manners at KAMP® Safari Receives Coveted Recognition from The Children’s Book Review and The Emily Post Institute as Library and School Participation Continues to Grow. To read more…

October 21, 2014 - Tame Your Manners: Celebrated Book from the Elegant Way Foundation Unleashes "Hidden Power of Character" in Children, It's Wild! To read more…

December 17, 2014 - Cafe Boulud Honors Standout Women. To read more...

YEAR IN REVIEW 2014

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SIGNATURE PROGRAMS

CHARACTER EDUCATION BOOK SERIES

For nearly twenty (20) years, our founder has offered character and etiquette education to a wide range of clients from individuals to corporations.

Aside from those offered by tuition-based charter and private schools, our character education and manners programs for children are among the finest and most comprehensive available today.

Along with parents and teachers, we recognize that it’s not easy to hold “mile-a-minute” young imaginations, especially on the subject of manners. With that in mind, we designed KAMP® to engage children through a form of edu-tainment. By incorporating cultural venues and things that most kids enjoy—arts, animals, and athletics—we make the learning process fun and memorable.

Based on our KAMP® curriculum, our books emphasize good character and core values, while offering an affordable and comprehensive learning solution. Children can enjoy the series at their own pace, or share it as a family or class and

reinforce the ideas over time.

Educational Picture Books (For Ages 5-12)

Our first book, Tame Your Manners at KAMP® (Kids’ Animals & Manners Program) Safari, released late March 2014, received coveted reviews, and has become a bestseller in its genre. Described as, “Disney’s Madagascar meets manners,” the book continues to charm the hearts of critics and readers alike.

Our second book, Sip Tea with Mad Hatter at KAMP® (Kids’ Arts & Manners Program), will release this summer and be another delightful concept for introducing children to tea manners. The book will challenge kids to “Think outside the rabbit hole.” An adventure you don’t want to miss!

Sip Tea with Mad Hatter at KAMP®

Kids’ Arts (Visual) & Manners Program

Win a Golden Ticket at KAMP®

Kids’ Arts (Performing) & Manners Program

Become a Young Master at KAMP®

Kids’ Athletics & Manners Program

KAMP® (For Children Ages 5-8 and 9-12)

YEAR IN REVIEW 2014

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With an emphasis on good character and core values, our educational books and programs provide pathways for success for all children, especially for those living in economically challenged communities.

This year alone more than 3,000 children have received benefits from EWF®, an effort far more rewarding than we had imagined. In a world where luxury devices and privileged experiences are common for many children, it is humbling to see children enthusiastic to receive our books and programs.

Much academic research exists to support the importance of character education for our children and youth. But more compellingly, current research in Paul Tough’s New York Times bestselling book, How Children Succeed, shows

character—rather than cognition—is more important in determining a child’s future success.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

HOW WE SHARE OUR EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES

To serve our mission and give 100% of the net proceeds from our books and programs to our collaborative partners, the founder currently funds all administrative and operating costs. In 2014, the founder, on behalf of EWF®, was able to give more than $25,000 to enhance other charities and their beneficiaries.

We’ve had the privilege to support through donations and/or sponsorships the following worthy causes:

“There are many ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.”

~ Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

With the ability for a child to read and write being vitally important, a literacy platform became an organic extension of our character education book series.

Using the Texas Book Festival’s Reading Rock Star Program* as a model, EWF® has been able to provide author visits and a signed complimentary book for each child to seven academies and schools, and nine children’s charities since April 2014.

To help bring our books and champion character education with literacy in your school or organization, please contact us at info@theelegantway.com or 561.833.0131.

Literacy Programs

*A literacy-driven nonprofit founded by former First Lady Laura Bush

American Humane Association

Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade,

Orange, and Palm Beach counties

The Compass

The Children’s Lantern

Defiance Public Library

Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation

Embraced by Grace

Kids Sanctuary

Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

Miami Book Fair International

Place of Hope

Susan G. Komen Foundation

The Society of the Four Arts

Toledo Symphony

Toledo Symphony League

Texas Book Festival

Texas Reading Rock Stars

UNICEF

United Way

WXEL PBS for the Palm Beaches

Mackinac Public Library

Mandel Public Library

Max Planck Florida Foundation

Niswonger Center for the Performing Arts

Naples Equestrian Challenge

New Horizons of SW Florida

New Hope Charities

Palm Beach Atlantic University

Palm Beach Christian Academy

Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews

Palm Beach Zoo

Character Education Programs

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We are most grateful to all of you who care about our mission, spend valuable time reading and/or sharing our updates on social media, and provide helpful reviews for our books and services. It is through your belief and support that we are able to directly impact lives for the better.

Special thanks to: EWF® Ambassadors: Anne-Marie Campbell, Jennifer Ziegler; Past ambassadors: Agnes Brun, Katya Zeidan; advisors, colleagues, and friends of EWF®: Dianna Booher, Debra Benton, Reba Bumb, Daniella Ortiz, Deborah Perry, Elissa Kurland, Kimberly Ladd, PBAU, Lena Yarina, Jamie O’Donnell, Dean Maguire, Kathy Greene, Bree and Joel Goldstein, Jeanie Hernandez, Robin Groves, Brent Prather, Bonnie Sloan, Naples and Palm Beach Illustrated Magazines, M&V Magazine, Mariya Kovacheva, Theresa Valiente, Roy Assad, Lizzie Post, The Emily Post Institute; bookstores for a splendid book launch and summer tour: Barnes & Noble, Books & Books, and Borders

A FINAL NOTE OF GRATITUDE

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

~ Marcel Proust

A HARBINGER OF THINGS TO COME IN 2015

We believe our cumulative effort this past year is a harbinger of things to come and demonstrates our strength as a nonprofit. With expanded leadership, new fundraising initiatives, partnerships, and private donor support in 2015, we are poised to experience robust growth and reach beneficiaries in a scalable way.

To build upon our initial success, we will expand our signature programs (KAMP®) to include athletics and performing arts, publish our second book in the character education series, provide at least 20 author visits to children’s charities and schools with signed copies for each child, host our first two fundraisers, and roll out our society levels of giving.

Our goal for 2015 is to impact more than 10,000 youth with our care, commitment, and resources.

GET INVOLVED

Join the Team or Serve on Our Board

To develop our organization further, we’ve begun the vetting process of additional advisors, educators, and nonprofit professionals. If you’re interested in a career or serving on our board, please contact us directly or visit our website

www.theelegantwayfoundation.org

Donate, Volunteer, Become an Event Sponsor or Society Member

There are many ways to help us provide valuable life skills to children in your community. Please visit our website and consider becoming involved. www.theelegantwayfoundation.org/getinvolved.

Become an EWF® Ambassador

Serving as an ambassador is a life-enriching experience, and we rely on the service of ambassadors to help keep our programs going. To learn more, contact us or visit the website www.theelegantwayfoundation.org/ambassadors.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Developing Character. Promoting Strong Social Skills.