It's Time For Grace Plates

They’re baaaack!  It’s time again for one of our very favorite INAD fundraisers - temporary Grace license plates!  And while Kyle and I still haven’t decided what to get on our vehicles just yet, we can’t wait to see all the fun things people choose.

This will be the fourth year the temporary licenses plates for Grace have been available. It was started by Jo Brummet and the Litchfield High School Student Council, leading up each year to the county-wide baseball tournament.

Our first Grace plates said BEAT INAD

In the past, the license plates have been both white and silver with our favorite princess logo on the left hand side.  The first year, Kyle and I chose BEAT for the car and INAD for the van, which looked pretty cool when we parked on Main Street side-by-side.  The second year, everyone got a variety of numbers.  And last year, we picked TEAM GRCE.  We ended up giving one of the TEAM plates to Lincolnwood Athletic Director Josh Stone, who helps to coordinate the TEAM golf outing every year, and we gave one of the GRCE ones to our favorite St. Louis eatery, Grace Meat+Three, where it is hanging on the wall next to a tray signed by Andrew Zimmer. Yup, pretty cool.

Grandpa John and Grandma Susie got HOPE on one of their vehicles.

The fundraiser is pretty simple. Forms are available at both Hillsboro High School and Litchfield High School and The Journal-News office in Hillsboro. Forms are also downloadable, and you can find them on our Facebook page at A Grace-Filled Journey. You fill out the form, and pick out what four letters or numbers you would like on your license plate. The first digit has to be a letter, but the other three can be a combination of letters and numbers.

Last year, we got TEAM GRCE.

Once you’ve picked out what you want, you make a copy of your driver’s license and registration, and turn it in with the $30 fee. This year, registration forms are due to Jo Brummet at Litchfield High School by Feb. 20. They can also be returned to the office at Hillsboro High School. The temporary license plates are good on Illinois vehicles from April 3 through June 1, with a culmination celebration this year at the Grace Cup senior soccer game on Saturday, June 8, in Raymond.

Grace shows off one of the sample plates for publicity.

Right now, we have specialty license plates on our van in honor of our buddy, Camden Burke, who was diagnosed with Cri du Chat, and it’s been fun to see all the orange plates around town in his honor and know there are so many out there supporting him and his family.  That’s the coolest part to us. During the Grace plate fundraiser, everywhere we go, every single event that we cover, we see the Grace plates, and it’s just an amazing feeling knowing there are so many people out there who love and support us.  It’s fun to try and figure out what each one means or whose vehicle it is. But mostly, it’s just an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all those who love our Grace.



So, you still have plenty of time to get signed up, and if you have any questions, you can contact Jo Brummet at Litchfield High School at jbrummet@litchfieldpanthers.org.  All proceeds benefit Grace and INAD research. Thanks for all your support and your help to #BeatINAD.  Oh, and when your license plates come in, don’t forget to post photos on Facebook so we can see them! 

mlh