...Board member and Applewild parent Kim Ansin ’77 then identified the progress to date and the goal:

To meet all these goals – the faculty housing, the endowment increase, the kitchen and dining facility and the new home for our wood shop, we need to raise a total of $7.5 million. In context, the two prior Capital Campaigns at Applewild have raised $1.7 million in the early 1990’s, and $3.4 million early this decade, so a $7.5 million campaign seems a daunting challenge.

But as David noted earlier, we have built tremendous momentum already. Of the $7.5 million total we seek to raise, we have already received gifts and pledges totaling just over $6 million. We have already renovated the apartments, greatly increased the school’s endowment, and will this morning dedicate our beautiful new wood shop.

Based on this progress, we have before us a project that is manageable in size and scope. We need to build a Kitchen and Dining facility in the center of our campus. We believe the cost to complete this project will be about $4.3 million. The $6.0 million we have already raised includes about $2.8 million for this building, leaving us with the need to raise another $1.5 million to complete the project.

That’s why we are here today – to launch the ultimate phase of the Building Community Campaign, to raise the $1.5 million which will allow us to realize our plans for Applewild.

Kim introduced Board member and parent Joe Lotuff, who spoke about why he and his wife Tia have committed to this campaign and to this school, and he urged others to join them. He connected this campaign to the way Applewild was founded – with a generous gift to achieve the vision of providing an excellent education for area residents in a school with heart. As Joe noted, Applewild has met this goal with extraordinary success for over fifty years thanks to the commitment of devoted faculty and loyal families. For Applewild to continue to serve students and families in the next fifty years as well as it has in its first fifty, he asked for support to meet key needs that will have both immediate and long lasting benefit for our program and our students.

Chris Williamson, Head of School, concluded the presentation:

Ron has spoken eloquently about how our family style lunches literally build community as a core element of our program. David and Will have outlined the careful planning on the part of many. Kim has noted what we aspire to – and how far we have already come. Joe reminds us of how Applewild has benefited from generous supporters in the past – and how transformative this last piece of the Building Community campaign will be for our community.

If we are fortunate and others share the enthusiasm of our early leadership donors for this project, we could start building as early as the summer of 2010. That is an aggressive goal, but it is possible. The plans will be ready, so the start date will depend upon fundraising. In the coming 12 - 18 months we will be scheduling individual conversations with additional friends of Applewild to seek commitments, with pledges payable over three – five years. Certainly, if you are eager to talk with us about your level of interest, please let us know!

The most important Applewild fundraiser for each of us to support this year and every year is the Annual Fund. Capital campaigns occur less frequently, and we understand that everyone cannot also support them. Some of you will be able to consider an additional gift, but please first continue to support the Annual Fund as generously as you can. Christin Catalano, Chair of the Parents Annual Fund Committee, is on the Campaign Steering Committee in part to assure that we retain our focus on the annual fund and do not confuse our donors.

Applewild’s “Belief in the Future” has long been fostered by careful stewardship. This project, carefully defined and focused, provides us with the chance to address a key need in a lasting way – to literally build community. I am grateful for the leadership of the Steering Committee and Design Committee and look forward to helping to make it a reality, just as the Wood Shop has become a reality.