Community Contributions

Thank you to all who participated in this past weekend’s Halloween Fair. All of your hard work, collaboration and creativity blossomed into a fun day for all. It was nice to see so many members of the community participating, including a number of high school volunteers. This day was just one example of many LREI events that represent the community coming together for the benefit of all. There are many more events of this type being planned—the upcoming DVD/CD Swap, the Book Fair, the Literary Evening, our new community cook book and Karamu!, our multicultural celebration, just to name a few. This focus on the community coming together for the education and enjoyment of all is a hallmark of communities like LREI.

At the beginning of each school year LREI embarks on another community effort in which both reaching our goal and doing it together are essential—our annual fundraising campaign. LREI’s Annual Fund is comprised of money raised during events such as the Halloween Fair and the Big Auction (coming on May 11, 2011) and cash donations from families, trustees, alumni, alumni parents, grandparents, faculty/staff and friends of the school.

The Annual Fund helps us to bridge the gap between the School’s annual expenses and income from tuition, increases to which we keep as low as possible. Simply put, the Annual Fund allows us to be LREI. It allows us to make decisions that are consistent with Elisabeth Irwin’s original progressive ideals and with our current progressive mission. The Annual Fund supports LREI’s commitment to offering the level of tuition remission that we do, among the highest of independent schools in New York City. The Annual Fund allows us to say “Yes” to providing the same core experience to each LREI student, supporting all families as we plan overnight trips, for example. The Annual Fund allows us to say “Yes” each time teachers want to bring students out into the world. It allows us to say “Yes” to professional development for our excellent faculty. The Annual Fund allows us to take risks and to be creative. It allows us, in short, to do what we ask the students to do. It allows LREI to remain a leader in educational thought and practice.

So here is where the community part comes in. We are grateful to all who have helped us to meet the challenge of achieving our Annual Fund goals in the past. Thank you to the many members of the community who have already contributed this year, including all 34 members of LREI’s Board of Trustees. Our goal is not only to raise quite a significant sum, but also to increase the percentage of members from each constituency who contribute. Please give at whatever level is comfortable for you. Whatever that amount is, if you have not already done so (and, again, thank you if you have) please participate. Thank you, in advance, for supporting our 14-year progressive program.

If you have questions about our Annual Fund, you can contact Brooke Gadasi, Director of Advancement (bgadasi@lrei.org) or me, at any time.

Thank you for all that each family, and each individual, does for LREI throughout the year. You make us a stronger community and a better school.

Warmly,

Phil