Page 12 - Priorities #43 2009-April

From Development
Dear Friends of the Priory:
As we near the end of the 2008-2009 school year and prepare to graduate another outstanding senior class, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have made the Priory the unique community it is today. Since I arrived here in the summer of 2007, I have been continually amazed at the extent to which so many people – faculty, staff, parents, alumni, students and friends – give of their time, talents and treasure to this school.
I especially wish to acknowledge the efforts of the development staff (Gail Kimball,
George Mears, Siobhan Lawlor and Casey Wynn) for the terrific work they have done in this very challenging year.
Of course my specific focus is on Development, so I would like to mention a couple of related items that are covered in this issue of Priorities: alumni relations and fund raising for the 2008-2009 school year.
Last fall we welcomed more than 100 alumni, alumni parents and friends to a weekend of events for the newlystructuredreunionweekend. Wehaveheldanumberofvery-wellattendedregionalafter-worksocials foralumni,andrecentlyhostedAlumniNightattheGiantsatAT&TPark. Wenowhavemorethanone-third ofouralumnisignedupforthePriory’sFacebookgroup. Alloftheseeffortshaveaddedsignificantlytothe school’seffortstore-engagealumni. Foryoualumniouttherewhowouldliketobeinvolvedintheseefforts, you can contact Casey at alumni@prioryca.org.
In this current economic climate, the last several months have made for some interesting challenges in regard to fund raising for the Priory. Thus far, we have 100 percent giving to the Annual Fund from the Board of trustees and faculty/staff. Current parents are moving steadily toward the 100 percent mark as well, with 88 percent of families participating as of March 24.
As difficult as this fund raising year has been, I remain confident that, as a community, we will be suc- cessful in reaching our Annual Fund goal. If you have not yet made your Annual Fund gift, please consider doing so now by using the envelope enclosed in this issue of Priorities.
In addition, I look forward to seeing everyone at the Auction on May 2nd. This year’s event will be, more than ever, absolutely crucial in achieving our fund raising goal for the year. The Auction Committee has been working tirelessly to secure terrific items for this year’s event. And, the Fund-A-Need items for this year are: Athletics, Faculty Professional Development, and the ACCESS program (see related articles on pages 16-17). All 2009 Auction proceeds will underwrite current operations in the annual budget.
Once again, thank you for all you do. Sincerely,
John Baldwin
Director of Development
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