I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of you back to Beechwood for the new school year. So much excitement is in the air and we had a great first week. I feel so fortunate to be a member of this community and I can honestly say: “I love my job!”
One of my favorite things about Beechwood is the way that we all work together to make the school great. This year, I would like to ask that all of us take a look at our level of contribution and challenge ourselves to do even more for Beechwood. Our construction project is moving ahead, but in order to get it completed on time we will need help from everyone. What we are asking is that we create “A Culture of Giving” that includes all of our major stakeholders: students, teachers, staff, parents, alumni and board members.
Melinda Christopherson and Melissa Look are our lead fundraising team and they are working hard to find the major donors who will help us reach our goal of 12 million dollars to fund the building of the new school. They have already been quite successful in securing donations but we have a long way to go. Wouldn’t it be great if we were able to say, when the new school is finished, that the donors included every single person in our community?
Each of us has something to give. It doesn’t have to be a lot but it is important that all of us give something. What that might require is a small sacrifice. In other words, we may have to give up something that we enjoy in order to make a contribution to the project.
Here is an example of something that I could do. I love to play golf. It costs about $60 dollars to play a round of golf. What if I skipped golf next weekend and gave that money to Beechwood? How about instead of saying “what if?”, I make that commitment right now and write a $60 dollar check to Beechwood’s capital campaign? (I just did it!)
Here is an example of something you could do. Let’s say you like to have your nails done once a month. What if, for one month, you skipped your manicure and gave the $25 dollars to Beechwood? Or instead of going to Starbucks for coffee, you made it yourself and gave $5 to Beechwood?
Here is an example of something a student could do. The kids love to go to the ice cream man after school. What if once a week the student skips the ice cream man and donates that two dollars to help with the building project? Wouldn’t that feel good? (Plus, it’s a healthy choice for your body: less sugar!)
Building a new campus for Beechwood is going to take focus, energy, flexibility and generosity. When it is done, all of us should be able to look back and say, “I helped build that school”.
– Mr. Laurance