Dear Kenyon Parents and Grandparents,
It was both an honor and a privilege to serve as the co-chairs of the Kenyon Parents Fund this past year. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the parents and grandparents who helped make this a very successful campaign.
In July of 2011 we set our goal for $1,300,000. But by the fall, continuing economic instability and a strong surge of political campaign fundraising posed a challenge. It was, for many institutions, a tentative year for fund raising.
We finished the fiscal year at $1,198,692. It was the second best year in terms of total dollars raised and we rank second among our peer schools in dollars raised per student. Although our effort fell short of the monetary goal, we all should be proud of several noteworthy achievements. The fundraising year ended with a record high 55% current parent participation and a record number, 1,010, of current parent donors. The class of 2014 once again exceeded their goal - this year by almost $7,000 and reached a new class participation level of 60%. And finally, over 1,070 parents of alumni surpassed their unprecedented goal of $400,000 by more than $6,000. This broad participation puts Kenyon on top of the ranking with our peer institutions, but more importantly, reflects the consistently strong support of Kenyon parents and grandparents and the strength of the Kenyon community.
All of this is possible because of your generosity and support. We would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the members of the Annual Fund Staff, as well as Parents Advisory Council members and the student phonathon workers who reached out to the broad community of Kenyon parents and grandparents.
We would also like to offer a special thanks to Stephen and Gayle Bernstein P'12, who ran a fabulous Senior Parent Challenge, to the class chairs Debra and Greg Page P'13, John Firestone and Sandra Miller P'14, and Tamra and Ken Bentsen P'15.
Many thanks again for your generosity and commitment to Kenyon! Your gift has contributed directly to the educational experience of our children and grandchildren and will help Kenyon in maintaining its standing as one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States.
With warm regards,
Edie and Ken Schechter, P13
Co-Chairs, Kenyon Parents Fund 2011-12