Do you want to make a difference in the world? I know you do. We all do. Many times, we think about how making a gift to your favorite charity, your college or university, a church, synagogue or temple, is going to have an impact on people’s lives. Whether it is the congregation we support, research being done to cure a disease, or helping to support an important cause through volunteering, each and every one of those efforts is our way of saying “we want to make a difference.”

We saw the difference that volunteers made in our community last Saturday at Springfest.  Special thanks to everyone who helped make Springfest a huge success.  From Carrol Anderson and Tom Herman in the Athletic Office, to Brooke Johnson and Sarah Talley who organized our Husky 5K/Fun Run race, to Gary Sidor who got the runners off and on their way, and to Lisa Benn and all her parent-volunteers who made it all look seamless, thank you!!  You made a difference last Saturday and we deeply appreciate the loving support you all provided.

At the same time, there is a part of us that realizes that making a difference is an investment.  Whether it is an investment in time and/or money, it pushes us to think harder about the decision to make that investment. And we all know we want to see a return on our investments. And the return we see is knowing that things are improving in the world for others and somehow our gifts are going to change lives. We are going to make a difference.

To be honest with you, supporting Flint Hill through the Annual Fund is one of the most important investments we can ever make. You have already demonstrated a level of high support by giving us the opportunity to educate your children. But what you may not realize is that each and every student here at school benefits from your support of the Annual Fund. Our gifts set the foundation for the school to be able to do what it needs now and in the future.  They also support our emphasis on improved communication, our ability to mobilize and enhance our programs, and the opportunity to recruit and maintain phenomenal teachers and staff. Your support helps provide the foundation for the program that we are working to create for our children and that we know is having an impact. You can see it each day – whether it is in the puppet show in the Lower School on Monday, the displays throughout Arts Jam, the competitive athletic games, the success in Latin and robotics, or the warm family feel we all experienced at Springfest.

Our Annual Fund goal this year is 80 percent parent participation and $1.4 million. This campaign is our number one fundraising priority right now. The Spring Campaign will run through June. To help in this effort, you will be getting telephone calls from other parents during the weeks of May 5 and May 12. Please respond to this call. The power of your collective philanthropy is going to be exciting and transformational. If you have already stepped forward, thank you!  If you have not been able to join us yet, I hope this is the moment that inspires you to do so.

The key of our success last year was that we were able to raise the percentage of giving to levels we had not reached before. Our challenge this year is to go even further! Last year, we had the fun of playing with the concept of my mustache and my willingness to lose it after 40 years of it being a key feature in my identity. But it was for Flint Hill and what we needed to do. This year, we need to do it without a gimmick. We need to do it because we love this school and we know it makes a profound difference. Your gift is an expression of trust. It is your chance to enhance the depth and breadth of Flint Hill’s endeavors. Your support fuels our work. We need your help.  Please step up and make your gift today.

Please join me and all of our other parents and faculty and staff in making a statement. In making a difference for your child(ren) and all the great students fortunate to be here, we can offer our faculty the opportunity to be innovative, our students the freedom to be creative, for everyone to reach new intellectual and cognitive heights, and for our great school to continue to promote the social and emotional health of our students. Education done well is an exciting, engaging, and all-encompassing experience. Together we can make a difference in the world!!!

Best wishes to you!