100 for 100

 

above: Head of School Noni Thomas López in the Commons this morning

 

Dear Gordon families and friends,

This morning in the Commons, I shared some very exciting news with a group of parents, teachers, students and alumni. The celebration was announced on very short notice, so thanks to those who could make it. Here is a recap for those who weren't there.

First, there is an announcement. I am excited to tell you that over the March break, the Gordon School received a check in the mail, completely unsolicited, completely anonymous, for $100,000 dollars. We have no way to learn who it came from, but we do know what was expressed in the message that came with it:

We're a current Gordon family and we really value the community we've found at Gordon. The kid community, the faculty and staff, and the parent community are all such important parts of our lives. We all appreciate the school's mission of equity and multicultural education. We're excited about Dr Thomas López's leadership and this new chapter. Please keep up the good work.

Notice how many times they used the word "community.” This is a gift to all of us: students, faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, alumni and friends. But with an anonymous gift, I can’t thank the donors directly. I can't even get a thank you note passed on to them. So I need your help. We are going to need to challenge ourselves as a community and get creative.

How can we match a $100,000 gift? There’s so many different ways to celebrate the generosity that fuels this school. I see it every day. I see it in the volunteers who come in every day to work in the Joukowsky Family Library and other parts of the school. I see it in those who come to meetings, early in the morning and long after the school day is finished, to talk about the future of the school. I see it among those of you who work daily in the classrooms and on the playing fields. 

All of those are ways of demonstrating generosity and we want to continue to celebrate that spirit of giving. 

So...

Today, we are launching a 100 for 100 campaign, the goal of which is to celebrate the Gordon community and match the $100,000 gift with our own demonstrations of generosity. And there are lots of ways for us to get there. 

An obvious goal would be to add $100,000 to this year's Gordon Fund total by June 30th. It's something we can do if we pull together. From WaterFire to Noche Tropical, Gordon has shown what is possible when we harness the power of our community. 

Along the way, we could shoot for 100% parent participation in the Gordon Fund. That would be an amazing goal for us to reach, but so would one hundred new alumni gifts. Or a gift of $100 to honor this year's graduating class. 

There are dozens of ways to count to a hundred. Ask any Gordon first grader! I'm eager to hear about the many ways that you can help us reach one hundred in this campaign. 

This gift is one that belongs to all of you. Your dedication to the mission of Gordon inspires others to do big things. At www.gordonschool.org/100for100 there's a form you can use to demonstrate and celebrate generosity through the 100 for 100 challenge. 

Thank you for all the magic you help create here at Gordon. 

Take care,

Noni