August 2008

The pressure is on. Not for the Capital Campaign, although it is there too, but for these UPDATES. I have heard from a fair number of you now that you are actually reading these letters, and that you find the informative, sometimes humorous, even inspiring. I have joked in conversations with readers that I can be irreverent and playful because no one is allowed to edit out the jokes (and you'll only know that to be true if this line stays in the update!). Kidding aside, August is proving to be a pivotal month in our Capital Campaign. First, some very good news, our ACT 250 Permits should arrive any day now, and we will then be free to close on the property in September. Whew! Many thanks due to Bob Stevens and Kevin for their hard work on that truly onerous process.

 

The Capital Campaign has been working closely with the design team to help fund the purchase and construction of the new school. I am delighted to report that the Campaign has now raised in excess of $2.1 million dollars, and we are determined to reach our next critical goal, the $3.0 million mark, by September 2008. We have been meeting with Hilltop families, past and present, and grandparents all summer, and have enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts, input, ideas, as well as finding out that our community's generosity is unprecedented.

We are at an extremely vital juncture in the timeline of this project. If there were one moment in our efforts where a gift would have the most impact, this is it. With $3 million in donations and pledges in hand by September we will be able to access extremely favorable land and construction funding that makes the project financially viable, keeps us right on schedule, and assures that we will be working, learning and playing at our new campus by September 2009. At this moment we are reaching out to everyone in our extended family of parents, grandparents, alums and special friends to consider joining in making either a first time or an additional personal gift to help this magnificent opportunity become a reality.

If you have not yet met with Kevin and me and would like to, please let us know! If you are considering a gift to the Campaign now, please stop by Kevin's office, give him a call (257-0500 x111), or email him ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to request a Capital Campaign brochure and an information packet on ways to both maximize and receive the fullest tax advantages from your donation.

As always, many thanks to our extended family for helping us inch closer towards our incredible new home.

All the best,
Melany Kahn,
Chair, Capital Campaign