Annual Report for 2006/2007 - Manlius Pebble Hill School

from the development chairDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEELydia Arnold TurnipseedChairBaxter F. BallHead of SchoolWilliam BrowerTyler Cagwin ’98Jayne (Rubenstein) Charlamb ’87John FriedmanKasha GodleskiBaird Hansen ‘71Joline HemmingerMady KudischPeter ManolakosLynn MillerTina MorganJenn NeunerWill O’MalleyKaren SpearJamie SutphenPeter TerryJosh Wells ’89Brahim M. ZogbySeveral of my friends not only wondered why I agreed to beDevelopment Chair for the MPH Board of Trustees, but alsowondered why I was so excited about the opportunity. Theyviewed the position as an extremely difficult one that required askingpeople for money constantly. While that is certainly a part of the role,it also encompasses so much more.Before my children began attending MPH, I served on a non-profiteducational institution’s board, focusing primarily on development.I also have been a long-time volunteer for my independent schools(elementary, middle, upper and boarding school, as well as my college)as a class agent. I enjoyed fundraising for all the organizations withwhich I volunteered because I believed strongly in their causes.When you believe in the mission and vision of a non-profit, askingfor monetary support is not difficult.I expected the same to be true when I began as an Annual Fund volunteerat MPH four years ago. Interestingly enough, it was even easierfor me to encourage the MPH community to contribute than I hadexpected. In the past, I was advocating for organizations that werehelping others, and that had helped me in the past. When I startedvolunteering for MPH, I was advocating for an organization that wasbenefiting my children. I witnessed first-hand on a daily basis theunique academic and whole child education at MPH and was ableto share my enthusiasm and love for the program with other parentsat school whose children were beneficiaries as well.There are many challenges, however, in our School. Because we are theonly Pre-K–grade 12 independent school in this region of New YorkState, families do not necessarily understand the need for fundraisingat a private school. It is extremely gratifying for me to see that moreand more MPH families understand that all private schools have a“gap” between tuition and the cost of educating each child and thata philanthropic community can make the difference between a goodeducation and an outstanding one. While we have much more work todo, we are heading in the right direction and have made good progress.Development at MPH encompasses not only fundraising, but alsocommunity and “friend-raising” events. Participating in these eventswas an enjoyable part of my role during the 2006-2007 school year. TheMPH community is diverse and interesting, and I enjoyed attendingevents and meeting many families in our school. Everyone I got to knowshared my sense that MPH is a special place where our children are notonly improving their minds, but also learning to become world citizens.In order to enhance our community-building efforts, the DevelopmentCommittee in the 2006-2007 school year included not only board members,but also former board members, members of our faculty, alumni,and friends of MPH. The Development Committee has become morethan a clearinghouse for information; now it is also a forum within whichwe can brainstorm ideas to further strengthen the sense of communityat MPH. I would like to thank the Development Committee and PeterManolakos, President of our Board of Trustees, for asking me to servethe School in this way and for his support of our development activitiesthis academic year. Head of School Baxter Ball also deserves a note ofgratitude for his tireless support of MPH and its mission.Finally, I would like to thank everyone who contributed time, funds,and ideas to MPH during the 2006-2007 school year. We are a richercommunity because of your involvement.Best,Lydia Arnold Turnipseed8 M A N L I U S P E B B L E H I L L 0 6 / 0 7 A N N U A L R E P O R T