Hello my name is Grace Cousineau.I am 10 years old. I live in a place called Forks of Salmon. It is in Northern California. I think my school deserves the NEOS. I think it would be a blast to play with. The school i go to is named Forks of salmon elementary. It is preschool to 8th grade. There is 14 kids in my whole school. I love this school. My little sister is finally able to read thanks to this little school. The kids and teachers at my school are like one big family. We don't have regular electricity. we use generators. That is how far in the mountains we live. I forgot to ask my teacher if the neos will take to much electricity but i am sure it will be fine. At my school the kids are very nice, smart, generous and cool. you would love them.By the way my mom watches your show everyday every since i can remember. but anyway i hope as you are getting ready to pick the winner of the NEOs that you will remember my school FORKS OF SALMON. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Grace Lynn Cousineau

Greetings Ellen from Dairyland! Holy Cow! Can we mooove you to help us? We named our campaign for a new playground "Play It Forward" long before you decided to "Pay It Forward" by giving away your NEOS. Our broken playground begged for help, but we didn't want to beg for money. It was obvious why students, parents, businesses and everyone supported this project. All we had to do was ask. We did not sell a single pizza or candy bar!

We loved the NEOS game from the moment we saw it, but knew it was way out of our reach. We want our children to be fit and healthy! We want a place for our children to enjoy the outdoors even in the summer months when butts are glued to chairs and eyes to video games. Our community wants the middle school playground to exude the same charm which can be found all over our small, Midwestern, blue collar town. Because our community is safe with a centally located middle school, children can walk (or dance) to the playground and get fit with their friends "until the cows come home."

Wouldn't Andy (we mean The Ellen Mascot) have an "udderly" great time in Wisconsin wearing a cheesehead and a Favre jersey while demonstrating the NEOS on our new playground? We are ready to break ground so please don't sit around and "chew your cud." Should you provide us with the biggest, most exciting "Play It Forward" donation yet, we promise to say "Cheese" for you and your viewers!

Friends of Sheboygan Falls Middle School
Sheboygan Falls, WI
P.S. Herd your crew up to see us while you are in Chicago and golf The Bull!

Hi Ellen,

WOW - that looks like fun for every age!!!!! I am coordinating the games for Rosa Parks Elementary School Carnival on June 7th, in Berkeley, California. I'm not asking for a permanent home here. We would LOVE to have this NEO game for just FOUR HOURS on June 7th, from 12:00-4:00pm, to help raise crucial funds for our school. Over half of our children are on the free or reduced-fee lunch program, so we have lots of need. I'm shocked to hear the money that rolls in for school fundraisers in other districts! We really depend on our Carnival and other events to pay for sports, art, science, music, supplies, and so many other necessities and enrichments for our children.

WADDAYATHINK, Ellen? Just FOUR LITTLE HOURS on JUNE 7th in BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA??!?!? Thanks for reading this!

~Nancy

PS- you are the most AWESOME dancer I have EVER seen! (Does that make you want to consider Rosa Parks School Carnival now?)

Hi Ellen,
I work at Broadmeadow Grade Level Center in Rantoul, Illinois. It is a 3rd thru 5th grade level center. Our children come from mainly low income families. Some of the children are also foster children. We also teach special education as well as life skills. Your NEOS game would be a great asset to the school as well as the students. The students can learn rhythm as well as work on their speed and agility. If you do not pick our school, don't worry, I will still continue to watch your show over the summer. (I do not watch much through the school year. It comes on during the day while I am at the school.)
You are great:) from, Michelle

Hi Ellen.

I would like to nominate my son's school for the NEOS. My son Austin attends a small Catholic school located in Somerset, Ohio. They have a little over 100 children in the entire school ranging from K-8th grade. Their playground is in need of a little Sping spruce up. The school has limited funding and could really put the NEOS to good use.
This school may be small, but the children there are pretty amazing. The children strive to be good citizens and give back to the community.
The school does not have the funding to provide many of the things for the children that many other schools have access to.
Austin and I are fans of your show and Tivo it, just so we don't miss a minute.
Thanks for all that you do. You are an amazing person and do so much for many people.
Keep dancing.

Hi, My husbands company has a small school that my kids attend. They have a classroom at a local public school and have to use the gym at the factory for PE classes. If we recieved the Neos, the kids would be able to play with it and so would the employees.

Dear Ellen-

I am probably too late, because I'm sure millions have already written in with a story of a very deserving someone for the Neos. But I wanted to give it a try anyway. My niece and nephew, and their school Bettie F. Williams Elementary School (tri campus) in Virginia Beach, Va. deserve the Neos.

My niece and nephew have always been a huge part of my life. I love them more than words can describe. When my husband and I were stationed in Virginia with the US Air Force, my sister moved to VA (from IL) with my niece and nephew to be closer to us. They were with me all the time, and always watched your show when they were at my house after school. They LOVE you! I also worked at their school last year. They have been through some very hard times in their life, and they are staying strong. However, sometimes I worry about them...especially now that my husband and I have moved back to IL. It breaks my heart to be so far away from them, and financially it's impossible for my sister to move to IL right now. And it breaks my heart to think of the school they attend. The school is mostly low income, single parent households. Most kids at this school go through experiences that no child ever should. This school has some amazing teachers and administrators, and really amazing kids...but they do not get adequate "kid" time. They do not have recess because of their low scores on SOLS (Standards of Learning tests). These poor children are made to sit allll day in a classroom, they are constantly made to be quiet, walk straight, sit down, etc. They never get to have fun, run and play like children need. If this school got the Neos, I believe their activity time would increase, which would also contribute to an increase in self esteem, health, and in the end, SOL scores. These kids need to be kids, they are not robots. And I think if their school received the Neos, my niece and nephew's life would change dramatically because they would be a contributing factor in making so many people happy...and that feeling of doing good would help them in so many ways. I saw their faces light up when they saw you giving so many people things on your show. They didn't need to be on the receiving end of the gift, they lit up just seeing such good deeds be done. I want them to be able to give to others, as you so often do. Please give their school the Neos, and let them continue to "pay it forward." God Bless you Ellen.

Ellen, we just love your show. And the Neos game is great. I run a 24 hour 7 days a week group child care in my home. We have had to put tons of money into our playground area because of flooding. It is a continuous battle. So we have two separate areas now. A small fenced in area for the smaller children and the rest of the yard for the older children. Right now we don't have much for the older children and I know they would love to have a Neos. I have five of my own children, three are grown. My third child, a daughter, helps me with the childcare. I also have two teenagers at home, they would absolutely love it. We are also in the process of adoption. We are looking for one to three children to add to our family. I would love to play the Neos and I am sure that I could beat my husband at it. I am sure there are a lot of others that are more deserving than I am, but I just thought I would write. Keep up all the fun on your show, sometimes I just need a good laugh, and I can always count on you. Thank you so much. I hope to some day have the chance to meet you. Although I am kind of stuck here all the time taking care of children, which is what I love to do. Thank you so much for being you.

Diana

Dear Ellen,

I want to tell you about an amazing man, an amazing school and the bond that ties them together. I want to tell you why you should donate the NEO to Gompers Elementary in Detroit, Michigan.

It was six years ago that we lost Marilyn to cancer. In that time her family, friends and business associates have grieved over her loss. But amidst the grief, there was inspiration; in fact, it was Marilyn’s last wish that provided the inspiration for the foundation that bears her name.

Marilyn had been an ardent supporter of the Samuel Gompers Elementary School in the Brightmoor area of Detroit. She first visited it as part of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Detroit Program. The school is a “Comer School” which means it subscribes to the educational approach developed by James P. Comer, professor of Psychiatry at Yale University, which states that schools must meet the needs of the whole child, including basic necessities, in order for them to successfully learn and grow. This is especially important in impoverished areas, where children may not even have such basic needs as a toothbrush or winter coat. Marilyn was so impressed by the dedication of Gompers’ staff, and successes of the students as a result, that she told the school’s story to everyone she knew. She also told them of her personal experience at the school when she heard one of the students telling a teacher that “his brother wasn’t in school today because it was winter and it was the boy’s turn to wear the one coat they shared that day. Tomorrow it would be his brother’s turn...” Marilyn was so deeply moved by this, that she went out and bought 14 new coats and dropped them off at Gompers the next day, so that no child would have to miss school due to needing a winter coat.

Marilyn’s final wish was that people bring coats, not flowers to her funeral so that all of the children of Gompers would have new, warm coats for the winter that year. It was truly a moving sight to see all of the coats adorning the room at her funeral. Enough coats were brought to outfit half of the school, and Marilyn’s friends from NAWBO vowed to raise enough funds to supply the rest.

It was then that her family and friends truly understood the impact that one person can have on their community, let alone hundreds. Soon after, plans were underway for the formation of the Marilyn Scheid Malin Foundation. Marilyn's husband Jim was instrumental in starting this foundation in his wife's name. Gifts for Gompers was born.

While still grieving for his wife, one year later in 2003, Jim accompanied his youngest son Brett while he participated in Race across America (RAAM), a cycle race from San Diego to Atlantic City. In New Mexico, just after finishing one of his legs of the race, Brett Malin was struck and killed by a semi in front of his father's eyes. One year after burying his wife, Jim buried his son. Even through all of his grief he still managed to get up and face each day with the same love, kindness and generosity he has always possessed. The Gifts for Gompers program continued each year as always.

In January of 2007 Jim Malin was diagnosed with lung cancer. He underwent many treatments and eventually he had one lung removed and part of his diaphragm. He was very weak for many months. But through all of this, he was still the same wonderful person we had always known.

In December Jim was told he was not going to spend this Christmas with Marilyn-that he was cancer free. But just as we all began to rejoice and breathe a sigh of relief, last month test showed the cancer returned.

I have never known anyone with as must courage, strength and love as Jim Malin. He is truly one of the most generous people I have ever met. It would bring such joy to see Gompers Elementary receive a gift such as the NEO. With all that he has endured, he still gets the most pleasure in life from other people's joy.

Sincerely,
Kim Young
Waterford, Michigan

**Jim Malin is my brother-in-law's father and very much family to me.

Hi Ellen
I volunteer at the Stoughton Youth Center - I would love to be able to tell thhem that they would be getting the neo game from the Ellen Degeneres show.
We will soon be getting a new center in town - we have people renovating a building in the city. We hope to have it open by the end of the year. This would be a GREAT thing for the new center.
Great way to pay it forward Ellen.
Love your show.
Bonnie Stenjem