Enthusiastic parents gathered at the Lab Schools in late October to call fellow families and solicit their support for the Community of Givers, the unrestricted annual fund that keeps the Lab Schools at the leading edge of education.
"We were delighted with the response from parents during the calls and very appreciative of the dedication of our volunteer callers," said Sarah Lehman, Assistant Director of Development. "People were very generous with their gifts, and the average parent contribution has been around $440. Every gift directly benefits our Schools and our students."
When the three-night phonathon concluded, the Schools had received gifts and pledges totaling $176,433 from 496 families, in addition to the 136 parents who made non-specific commitments to the drive. Actual gifts received from parents, alumni, and friends to date now stand at $315,956. Many families paid their fund pledges with calendar year-end donations, but "if we didn't reach you during the phonathon, it's not too late to give!" added Lehman. "In fact, we are counting on many more families if we are to reach our parent participation goal of over 50 percent."
Last fiscal year, the Community of Givers raised $267,617, including contributions from alumni and friends. The fund supplements the 87 percent of Lab's budget that comes from tuition dollars. Funds are applied to uses as diverse as faculty development, classroom supplies, new curricular programs, and deferred maintenance.
Contributions to support the Community of Givers may be mailed to the Alumni and Development Office, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1362 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637. Secure online giving is also available at https://onlinegiving.uchicago.edu. People with questions may call Lehman at (773) 702-2051.
Special thanks are due to the following parents who gave so generously of their time to ensure the success of this yearŐs phonathon: Natalie Bernardoni, Patricia Brichta, Dathine Brown, Carol Carter, Maria Constantinides, Don Dorfman, Dick Hudson, Jane Humilier, Petra Joseph, Ann Laumann, Susan Berman Lazar, Ada Robles Levine, Margaret Liput, Gabriel Minc, Mary Minella, Andrew Neal, Nancy Peltzman, Lonnie Plecha, Linda Projansky, Ned Reece, Miriam Smith, David R. Stone, Jeff and Mary Lou Sydel, and Susan Weiss.