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Imagine Deerfield
Parent Giving
Why Give?
Why should parents make a gift to Deerfield? Your gift will help to retain outstanding faculty and bring guest lecturers to the Academy; make new library acquisitions and information resources possible; purchase laboratory and classroom equipment; make improvements to student and athletic facilities; and expand financial aid. In short, there is a constant need for financial resources to maintain Deerfield, and every gift is valuable.
This year, Deerfield Parents Annual Support is aiming at 100% parent participation in the giving of unrestricted gifts to the Academy. Obviously, we can only achieve this goal if everybody gives, so please send your tax-deductible contribution today. No gift is too small and every gift is essential. Please contact William Barry if you would like to get involved with future parent fundraising activities.
The depth and strength of Deerfield’s programs are possible only because of the incredible support the Academy has received from its parents and alumni. Philanthropy is the difference between a good school and a great school, and thanks to the generous gifts of generations before us, we can say that today, ours is a great school.
The cost of a Deerfield education is approximately $78,000 per student per year – meaning that all of our students are on some measure of financial aid. Our endowment is able to provide a significant proportion of the difference between this cost and tuition, but not all of it. This is the reason that we ask parents and alumni to help support the school’s mission as generously as they are able.
Parent giving at DA is a volunteer-driven effort that helps bridge this gap between tuition and the cost of a Deerfield education. Parents of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors provide unparalleled support to the Annual Fund. Our senior parents come together to fund a special building project or endowment as a legacy of the graduating class.
Gifts to Deerfield are direct investments in programs benefiting your children: the expansion of DA’s faculty, improved academic programs, and strengthened academic support for students. It is made up of contributions large and small, the totality of which has an enormous impact on school life. It is a collective effort in which the importance of every gift is magnified by one simple fact: giving by one family encourages another to give as well.
The Gift to Honor the Great Class of 2012
Deerfield Academy and the Co-Chairs of the Senior Parents Committee (Julie and Brian Simmons P’12,’14 and Suzanne and Michael Huebsch P’11,’12) seek the support of parents, grandparents, family, and friends for the creation of an endowed fund to support a “Class of 2012 Visiting Teacher Chair,” as well as the renovation of a classroom, to be named the “Class of 2012 Deerfield Room,” in honor of the contributions of the Great Class of 2012.
Over the fall semester, we heard from a number of senior parents. We have also met directly with seniors, who, in turn, surveyed their classmates—either in person or through the Class of 2012 Facebook page. From the start, seniors have approached this project with a sense of legacy and commitment, and they want their gift to address shared and meaningful aspects of their Deerfield experience.
The students identified faculty as the “secret sauce” that makes Deerfield so special, and they have focused on the Deerfield Room in the Memorial Building, where the majority of students have studied ethics. By underwriting a visiting scholar, seniors will both honor faculty and expand its ranks. A renovated classroom will stand as a “bricks and mortar” legacy to the Class.
- The Class of 2012 Visiting Teacher Chair: Modeled after the highly successful Wallace Wilson Visiting Teaching Chair, this fund will be used to attract exceptional teachers to campus and to support the expansion of Deerfield’s devoted faculty. The funding required for this endowment is a minimum of $1,500,000.
- The Class of 2012 Deerfield Room: As part of the broader renovation of the Memorial Building, the current Deerfield Room will be converted into an architecture studio. Our children would like to rededicate a new Deerfield Room in another building. The new Deerfield Room will cost $250,000.
The total commitment of $1,750,000 is an ambitious but achievable goal. We hope that all families of the Class of 2012 will support this incredible legacy for our children. Every gift matters. With your help, we might set a new record for participation in the Senior Class Gift. Keep in mind that contributions will be counted towards the larger Imagine Deerfield campaign, and your payments can be made over multiple years.
On behalf of Deerfield Academy, we thank you in advance for your inspiring support and uplifting generosity.
Other Capital Projects
Gifts by senior parents to existing endowment funds and physical plant projects will also be included in the Campaign total. You can make your gift to Honor the Class of 2012 online or simply make a pledge today and Deerfield will send you a reminder.
For more information, please contact William Barry, ’77 P’11,’15, Director of Parent Giving, at 413.774.1463 or wbarry@deerfield.edu.