Winter Fund Drive 09

Our Neutral Zone Winter Fund Drive is here! This annual drive provides essential support which allows the Neutral Zone to continue to create positive, high-quality, youth engagement opportunities throughout the year.

Click here to make your gift online today:

Why should you support the Neutral Zone? We would like you to meet Charlie and hear him answer that question:

I love the Neutral Zone because from day one, the people at NZ respected me as an individual and had faith in me to accomplish things. My name is Charlie Reischl. I’ve been coming to the Neutral Zone since my freshman year in high school.

In February 2007, a close friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia. His family was also going through a tough financial time. My friends and I all wanted to do something for him but nobody knew where to turn.

I had been organizing concerts in the “B-side”, Neutral Zone’s venue, for a year, so I suggested we hold a benefit concert. My friends weren’t affiliated with NZ but they like the idea. At first it was daunting — there were a lot of people, a lot of adults, who wanted to be involved. A lot of people wanted this to go well. People had really high expectations of me.

But the Neutral Zone’s staff was very supportive. They helped me get in contact with writers from the Ann Arbor News, design poster and even covered some of the venue costs so we could raise more money.

Ultimately, the concert was a great success. It broke the B-Side’s record for attendance at a show and raised $2,700 for my friend’s medical expenses. To me, this is a great example of how the Neutral Zone supports the whole community. Not only did the NZ give teen bands a place to play for a crowd and the community a place to come together to help a family in need, but it gave me, a teenager, a chance to be in charge of that event.

The NZ trusted me. That’s why I love this place. It gives teens a chance to take responsibility and change our community for the better.

Looking back now as a senior, I’ve been reflecting on what makes this place so great. When I first started coming to Neutral Zone, I didn’t know how to use Photoshop, dance to SKA music and I couldn’t grow a hair on my face. I didn’t know how to use the bus system, plan my schedule more than two days in advance, or write a good letter.

Through Neutral Zone, I’ve learned how to contact local and touring musical acts and convince them to work for me by booking shows in the B-Side venue. Since joining the Board of Directors last year, I’ve learned how to read monthly financial statements and keep a non-profit going. And I now know how to use a sewing machine. The Neutral Zone has given me all these experiences but it’s not just the opportunities I’ve had here that make me love this place.

At age 14, the transition into high school flipped my world around. Suddenly, I had a whole new schedule and I didn’t know where or with whom I would be spending time after school. But the Neutral Zone welcomed me.

I had fun. The projects we were doing were interesting, and I felt personally connected to the staff. It was just a great environment where I was encouraged to try new things. So I started coming two or three times a week. The idea that I could decide to so something and use the Neutral Zone’s support to make it happen sunk in.

I want to thank you for supporting the Neutral Zone in the past and in the future. I personally make a monthly contribution to the NZ. If you are someone who has given before, I can tell you that your money is being well spent. A gift of $35 can provide snacks for the teens who drop in after school for tutoring. $50 can cover art supplies for teens in our visual arts programs. And a gift of $120, which could be a pledge of $10 a month, will cover a full-year program scholarship for a teen.

I think it’s great that the Neutral Zone says “yes” to every teen in our community who needs a scholarship. I hope you will make a gift today and join the Neutral Zone donor community to help give other teens a great experience like mine.

Thank you very much,

Charlie