Dear Kenyon Parents and Grandparents,
Ken and I were delighted and honored to serve as co-chairs of the 2013 – 2014 Kenyon Parents Fund this past year. It has been a wonderful year, and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of the parents and grandparents who made it such a successful annual campaign.
Early in July 2013, we set a bold goal for the coming year, bolstered by the excitement of our new president, a glimmer of blue sky in the economic forecast, and our loyal Kenyon parents and grandparents. With your extraordinary generosity, we achieved the most successful campaign in the history of the Kenyon Parents Fund!
The Fund finished the fiscal year raising $1,333,612, which was 99% of our original goal and a 6% increase from the previous year. The 2014 Senior Parent Challenge logged a new record of $362,000, and the Parents of Alumni surpassed their $400,000 goal, finishing with over $409,000. The Class of 2015 went over their $200,000 goal, finishing with $203,000. We continue to enjoy strong participation from Kenyon parents, exceeding 50% current parent participation for nine out of the past ten years, and totaling more than 1,000 parents of alumni donors for the fifth year in a row.
None of this could have been achieved without your generosity. We want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Annual Fund staff, as well as the Parents Advisory Council (100% of PAC members contributed) and the student phonathon team who volunteered to reach out to the broader community with excellent success!
The Class Chairs were invaluable in leading this year’s success with special thanks to John Firestone and Sandra Miller P’14 who guided a monumental Senior Parent Challenge, John Ware and Margaret Tcheng Ware P’15, Geoff Fenn ’86 P’16 and Cathy Bourne Fenn ’86 P’16, and Ann Salo and Philip Clark P’17.
In his inaugural address last fall, President Sean Decatur compared Kenyon to a catalyst, "attracting people who otherwise might not meet to this Hill in Ohio, building bonds among students and among students and faculty, transforming mind and spirit with a powerful educational experience inside and outside of the classroom."
Your continued generosity is also a catalyst that helps the Kenyon community propel its intellectual mission forward.
Thank you again.
With kindest personal regards,
Tamra and Ken Bentsen P’15
Co-Chairs, Kenyon Parents Fund