Message from the President …

Greater Funding Success & Student Achievement

Warm greetings to all of our wonderful members! I am extremely pleased to report that we’ve had yet another fabulous year supporting Willow Glen Schools. The Foundation has raised over $70,000 so far, a 40% increase over last year’s record level!

Organization Notes

2 New Principals. We kicked off the year by welcoming two new Principals: Erin Green at the Middle School, and Shannon McGee at the High School. We are incredibly lucky to have them! They are both extremely energetic, entirely devoted to the kids, and excellent advocates for the schools.

New Foundation Treasurer Dave Davis. Dave is a partner at Johanson & Yau Accountancy, and an active member of Rotary. He brings many years of excellent experience in non-profit accounting to the position.

Music Boosters Changes To Performing Arts Boosters (PAB). PAB more accurately reflects all the programs they support. Darla Arndt chairs this amazingly successful Foundation Branch. Kathy Hopp superbly represents PAB on the Foundation Board, read her report inside.

Fundraising Highlights

6th Annual Wine Tasting & Auction at the Garden Theater. Another great success: we raised over $27,000 – a new record. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and deep thanks go to David Heiman, Event Chair, and Barbara Bremner, Auction Chair. Special thanks to Robin Denton for handling ticket sales with such a smooth touch.

New Alumni Fund. One of our members, Nancy Gum, a local orthodontist, donated a patient’s fee to establish a new “Alumni Fund.” We plan to build on this endowment through outreach to alumni and “honorary alumni”. The kickoff will be an All Class Reunion Picnic, slated for September 7. Mark your calendars for a fun day to renew old friendships, dance to some great music, and support the schools.

Watch Your Mailbox. School parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters will be getting a Call-to-Action letter in June. Please do give generously, as I know you always do.

Funding Focus

Allocations. This year, both schools chose to focus on technology, and we’ve been pleased to support their joint requests. Victoria Ladd, our excellent Allocations Chair, reports on these and other allocations in her report on the cover. We end the year again with one of my favorite activities: awarding scholarships to deserving Seniors. This year, we funded five $2000 scholarships,
up from $1000 in past years.

A Few Goodbyes

We say goodbye to Beth Martinez, who has served as Public Relations Chair for – well, forever. She is responsible for the great press coverage we’ve received over the years, for designing and creating our promotional materials, overhauling our website, and even managing the Wine Tasting ticket process for several years—a huge job. She has done a superb job of raising the visibility of the Foundation, and we bow to her amazing dedication and hard work.

We also bid adieu to Carol Myers, who has served as Vice President for the 3+ years. Thank you, Carol, for your long-standing and passionate support of all things Willow Glen.

After four perfectly wonderful years, it is time for me to turn the reins over to a fabulous new President: Maria Fox. Maria is the outgoing Middle School PTA President, and has done an outstanding job leading the PTA to new heights of fundraising and student advocacy. She will have as her right-hand Barbara Bremner, as VP, whose creativity and organizational skills are now legendary at the Foundation.

It has been a true pleasure and a distinct privilege to serve as Foundation President. I thank everyone for their marvelous support over the years. You are in excellent hands.

In closing, I encourage you to attend a Foundation meeting — the first Wednesday of the month, 7:00 -9:00 PM in the Media Center — and to join us on the Board. We’re looking for a Fundraising Chair and a Membership Chair for next year.

Join us as we continue this important work!

Kim Guptill
President, Willow Glen Middle School & High School Foundation

The entire Newsletter is available for download in PDF … 2008 Newsletter

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