O’Keeffe Middle
School Endowment Fund Campaign
“ What we have
done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the
world remains and is immortal.
---Albert Pike
The O’Keeffe Middle School Endowment Fundraising Campaign is
underway. A group of volunteer
O’Keeffe parents are working to create and build this fund for our Middle
School. Already over $14,0000 has
been raised and $8,000 collected.
The Endowment Fund opens a unique opportunity to help augment the
excellent work and learning already happening at O’Keeffe.
Our O’Keeffe Middle School serves a rich diverse community
representing many racial, cultural and socioeconomic groups. Included are students from highly
educated affluent homes, and others from settings in which families live in
poverty. O’Keeffe is the
major middle school that serves homeless students. We also have several group homes in our attendance area
populated by students with a variety of significant academic and behavioral
challenges. Academically, many of
MMSD’s highest performing students on standardized test are from
O’Keeffe. Coupled with this
success is the presence of many students who struggle academically due to
factors related to poverty, high mobility and disabilities.
With an ever increasing diverse population, and the pressure to meet
even lower budgets, we are faced with keeping the learning experience rich
while making tough choices about the programs supported at O’Keeffe. How
to provide the best education possible becomes the central question. Endowments help ensure that special
program funds are available on an on-going basis.
O’Keeffe is a great place to learn for all the children in our
community. Having both diversity and
success leads to great things.
O’Keeffe’s highly skilled staff is dedicated to
“making our good school better”. Support from a permanent endowment fund will help
O’Keeffe address the significant need for resources devoted to the
academic, social, emotional growth and development of our young people, with
funds for creative and innovative projects outside of the regular school
budget. Examples of these kinds of
projects might include purchasing and installing the new climbing wall in the
field house, and the special visit and presentation by the French Voyageurs
musical and language group in the spring 2002. These are educational enhancements that expand young minds,
help children learn to value others, and provide our young people insight into
their relationship to the world and community.
The O’Keeffe Endowment fund will be administered by the
Foundation for Madison Schools.
Decisions about how to use the funds will be made by a Grants Committee
composed of O’Keeffe’s PTG representatives, parent/teacher/staff
representatives, and the principal.
Neighborhood residents who care deeply about promoting excellence at
O’Keeffe are invited to participate in this fund raising campaign and to
give generously.
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O’Keeffe Middle
School Endowment Fund
Foundation for
Madison’s Public Schools
I/we wish to join other families and friends in their commitment to
excellence at O’Keeffe Middle School.
Enclosed is my/our contribution of $___________________.
I/we pledge $___________________ of which ____________is enclosed. Please send a reminder of my/our
remaining pledge amount in ______________________(month/year).
My company will match this gift; company matching gift form is
enclosed.
Please contact me regarding other gift options, e.g., stock transfer.
Please do not list my name as a donor in any O’Keeffe Middle
School or Foundation for Madison’s Public School’s publications.
Name ____________________________________________
Address____________________________________________________________________
Phone ____________________________________________
E-mail address______________________________________
Signature__________________________________________
Date_____________________
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Please make checks payable
to Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools-O’Keeffe Middle
School and mail to: Foundation for Madison’s Public
Schools,
PO Box 56038,
Madison, WI. 53705
Thank you! Your gift is tax-deductible to the
fullest extent of the law.
If you have questions, ideas,
or for more information, please contact Karen Crossley, Lead
Volunteer for O’Keeffe
Middle School Endowment Fund at 608-255-2706, or the Foundation for
Madison’s Public Schools, 608-232-1776.
The Mission of the Foundation for Madison’s
Public Schools is to establish funds that will enhance the educational
opportunities available to Madison Metropolitan School District students long
into the future.
Lots of Questions? Please
contact Karen Crossley, Lead Volunteer, at 255-2706 or KarGusto@aol.com.
Neighborhood groups can be formed to provide specifics about the
endowment, its management, examples of the programs it might support, answer
your questions. This gathering
will also give you a nice chance to meet and visit with parents of
O’Keeffe students you may not know, continuing to foster our already
strong sense of community.
Return to
Spring 2003 Table of Contents