A gift that will benefit Gordon for years to come

 

Dear Gordon Family,

I have exciting news to share with you.

Longtime community members and alumni parents Chip and Amanda Riegel have made a transformational gift of two million dollars that will advance Gordon’s mission, bolster our financial foundation, and strengthen the ongoing development of Gordon’s outstanding faculty and staff, this year and in all the years to come.

While this extraordinary gift is the largest in the school’s history, it represents just one chapter of the ongoing story of the Riegel family’s belief in and commitment to Gordon School since the moment they arrived at 45 Maxfield fifteen years ago. From that day onward, Chip and Amanda have woven themselves into the life of the school in dozens of ways – some public, others anonymous; some small and others large. The throughline in all of their contributions has been their earnest desire to respond to the needs of the community in ways that make everyone feel, as Amanda would say, “seen, held and celebrated.”

The defining feature of Chip and Amanda’s contributions to Gordon is their demonstrated care for all members of the community. They have been the engine driving Winter Wellness events supporting our faculty. They have purchased Carnival raffle tickets for every Gordon student. They have hosted countless dinners and receptions to support the advancement work of the school. And they invested themselves fully in each of these efforts, whether that meant designing a candy buffet in the faculty lounge, tallying the number of raffle tickets for each classroom, or making sure each guest felt welcome in their home. In all of these efforts, the Riegels have led with their hearts, and they have followed through with hard work.

It is not surprising then that Chip and Amanda have directed the majority of their two million dollar gift towards the establishment of the Riegel Family “Care for Our Own” Fund. This endowed fund will energize our current efforts to ensure that working at Gordon remains a joyful and sustainable experience. Chip and Amanda shared:

We are inspired daily by the selflessness of each and every member of the Gordon faculty and staff. They give their time, knowledge, sweat, tears, and laughter without seeking credit. They challenge each other—and our community–to be better each day. Joy for teaching and learning is as tangible as the red shingles and skylights. We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to support the amazing people that have supported us and show our gratitude for their devotion to making our students, families and world better.

I am also thrilled to share that $250,000 of this gift has been earmarked to establish the Lynn Bowman Fund for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, an endowed fund named for the beloved teacher and administrator who founded our groundbreaking Civil Rights Trip, mentored scores of young teachers through Gordon’s Teacher Residency Program, and stewarded the reimagining of Gordon’s academic program through the height of the COVID pandemic. These funds will support the ongoing growth and development of the talented professional community responsible for bringing Gordon’s mission to life for our students every day. 

When asked about what she hopes will be the legacy of this gift, Amanda said the following:

We hope what lives on is the idea of demonstrating care for Gordon’s own. It happens at Gordon in grand acts and in small gestures every day, from the nurturing love children pour into the gardens to the strategies the grown-ups apply schoolwide to remove barriers to belonging. People will forget our names over time, but I hope they will remember that there is a tradition of celebrating and appreciating people, here at Gordon – a tradition they will want to be a part of.

I hope you are as inspired by this act of generosity as I am. 

With excitement and gratitude,

Noni Thomas López, Ed.D