- Overview
We’d like to thank all our families and friends that made last year a fundraising success! The 2007-08 Annual Fund raised $185,000. Then the 2008 Annual Auction, the Westerly Grand Fair raised $276,000 gross, netting over $211,000 to benefit the educational programs at Westerly. This does not include the $30,000 raised in the matter of minutes to buy eight SMARTboards for the classrooms!
Giving and Getting Involved at
Westerly School
All members of our school community—current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, Trustees, and faculty and staff—are asked to support our School. It is through the ongoing generosity of our community that keeps Westerly vital and strong and enables us to deliver the best possible education for current and future students.
How can we get involved?
How can we help?
We ask for our community’s support in two meaningful ways:
Financial Support
Tuition dollars alone cannot cover the cost of providing a well-balanced, challenging and diverse education to the students of Westerly, so fundraising is key to the fiscal health and long-term stability of the School. The Development Office, therefore, plans, supports and promotes school-wide fundraising efforts through the coordination of the Annual Auction, the Annual Fund, Grants, Major Gifts, Capital Campaigns and other special programs.
Active Participation
In addition to relying on donations Westerly relies on generous volunteers. We invite parents to participate in the School life to better understand and support their child’s learning experiences -- perhaps by being involved in the classroom, attending School events, and volunteering at events. Volunteering allows opportunities to get to know other parents, to stay involved with your student’s educational activities, and to support Westerly at the same time. We also encourage grandparents, alumni, and alumni parents to participate and attend school events such as the music performances, athletic events and Graduation.
We invite you to join our esteemed list of supporters, who enable us to offer extraordinary and successful education opportunities. We hope that you will become involved in a meaningful way and in doing so encourage others to do the same.
Leadership Appreciation
New this year — In June Westerly will host a Super Supporters Appreciation event for all donors of $1,000 or more and volunteers (those who have contributed more than 20 hours in the school year). This will be our opportunity to recognize those who support Westerly throughout the year. More information on this will be announced at a later date.
If you have questions, please contact Christine Downie, Director of Development, at (562) 981-3151 or cdownie@westerlyschool.org.
- Annual Fund
Westerly, like most independent schools, relies on income from other sources besides tuition to fully support its programs and faculty. Tuition alone cannot cover the cost of education, and the Annual Fund helps make up the difference between tuition revenues and the actual costs of educating the children. Since contributions are applied to the operating budget in the year that they are requested, Westerly depends on donors to support the Annual Fund every year. Thanks to the generosity of the Westerly community, the 2007/08 Annual Fund raised $185,000.
Why give to Westerly’s Annual Fund?
- To bridge the gap between tuition revenue and the cost of education
- To enable the School to cover the cost of education without having huge tuition increases
- To provide the opportunity to give to one's own children who are the direct beneficiaries
- Annual Funds are a universal way for independent schools to raise operating cost funds
- Contributions are 100% tax deductible
Each year, the Annual Fund is overseen by a committee of parents who take a leadership role in their class to encourage 100% participation. In the fall you will receive an opportunity to give to the Annual Fund. Also you may receive a phone call from your Annual Fund Class Chair who can answer your questions about the Annual Fund.
We would like for all Annual Fund contributions or pledges to be submitted by December 31, 2008 and pledges fulfilled by June 1, 2009. All gifts made to the Annual Fund are used in the 2008-09 school year, having an immediate impact and benefit for every student. Gifts of all amounts are welcome; those who contribute beyond the $3,500 level are recognized at the Appreciation Event at the end of the school year.
Make your donation online through a secure payment with PayPal. No need to join or register, simply pledge your support to Westerly School.
Please contact Christine Downie, Director of Development at (562) 981-3151 for additional information.
Annual Fund FAQs
-
Auction
Westerly School’s 17th Annual Auction
Saturday, May 15th, 5:30 p.m.
Westin Long Beach
Check out the Auction Catalog at http://westerlyschool.maestroweb.com/
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Suit up and come join the Westerly community
trackside for a supercharged evening of fun.
Whether you're big block or small block, stick
shift or automatic, turbocharged or normally
aspirated, there will be something for you in the
auction. Head on down to the 29th Street
Garage for your gear. Watch out for a caution
flag as you speed down the track of the Wildcat
Grand Prix. Shift down for that high curve in the
Westerly 500. Don't forget to take a Pit Stop to
enjoy appetizers and drinks while you choose.
After dinner, put your pedal to the metal and bid
on any of the exceptional items in the exciting
live auction. Then be sure to burn your treads on
the dance floor at the end of the evening.
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If you have any questions about this event, please contact Christine Downie, Director of Advancement at cdownie@westerlyschool.org or (562) 981-3151
- Capital Campaign
- Overview
WesterlySchool is Sending Down Roots
Westerly School sees its role as a leading learning institution focused on developing each child's full potential intellectually, emotionally, morally and physically. To continue to fulfill that mission, it is time for Westerly School to move beyond temporary structures and build a solid foundation designed for flexibility and for the future. New facilities create new opportunities to educate the whole child, inspiring Westerly students to be successful, well-balanced citizens of the world in which they live. Enduring facilities make Westerly a visible, attractive and permanent campus in the greater Long Beach community. Updated facilities create opportunities for education in the classroom, in the arts and in technology. And finally, expanded facilities open up possibilities for sports, for faculty support and for discovering something inspiring.
The first new facility to be firmly rooted at Westerly School is the Westerly Arts Village. Dedicated to the visual and performing arts, the Arts Village gives permanence to Westerly's mission of developing each child's full potential. Scheduled to begin construction in the Fall of 2008, the Arts Village is supported by a $2 million pledge campaign.
Thank you to everyone who has already made a pledge towards this campaign. With your pledge, you are helping Westerly permanently continue to make its mark in the community and in the lives in the hundreds of students and families past, present and future who take advantage of the opportunities provided by the School.
- Master Plan
Westerly's Master Plan: The Dream Becomes Permanent
WesterlySchool Holds a Special Place in the Community
Westerly School of Long Beach is a special school, a special community and a special place. There are now more than 175 Westerly graduates equipped with an educational foundation unlike any other in the Long Beach area. The families of these graduates and the families of current students know the unique opportunity Westerly presents. Students and their families are attracted by a Mission that stresses a balanced approach to education. Westerly School sees its future as a leading learning institution focused on educating the whole child. That vision is embodied in a Campus Master Plan that provides new facilities to create opportunities for education in the classroom, in the arts and in technology. It is embodied in a plan that creates new facilities to open up possibilities for sports, for faculty support and for discovering something inspiring.
A Dream Becomes a Reality
From the dream of a few founding families in the early nineties, Westerly has become a special institution in the City of Long Beach. Local high schools now seek Westerly graduates for their magnet programs. Counselors and teachers know them to be confidant, well equipped and furnished with a keen interest in learning. Westerly graduates attend a wide assortment of colleges and universities including the most prestigious and the most unique. Many of the first graduates are now beginning their professional careers in the area. Westerly is an institution making investments in the future of the greater community.
The Dream Deserves Permanence
Since it opened in 1993, Westerly has added a new set of donated modular classroom buildings as enrollment grew from an original 40 students. It has also installed playground equipment, lunch shelters, and an outdoor amphitheater large enough to seat the entire student body. But after 15 years of educating students, Westerly remains housed entirely in temporary modular buildings. It is time for Westerly to create a permanent home and to send down roots to ensure the continued blossoming of future generations of students. A school like Westerly should build for the long term and should be built on solid foundations to serve future generations of students. The choice that Westerly School provides should not erode with time. The Campus Master Plan gives the dream and the reality permanence.
The Campus Master Plan Is a Shared Dream
The Campus Master Plan is a plan that was started almost 10 years ago in 1999 and has been shared and supported by succeeding Heads of School, trustees, parents, faculty and students. The original plan was based on the guiding principles of the Westerly Mission Statement and the vision of founding Headmaster, Ray Bizjack. When the current Headmaster, William J. Valenta arrived in 2005, he re-opened the Master Plan discussion because he, too, saw the construction of new facilities as increasingly important to fulfilling Westerly's Mission. From the beginning, parents have supported the potential of the Campus Master Plan recognizing the opportunity to enhance and make permanent the dream of Westerly. Not only have parents been involved in the plan at all stages of conception, they have also pledged ongoing financial support. Starting with the initial $100,000 “Fund the Future” seed money donated through the fund-an-item at the 2006 Westerly Auction to the launch of the five-year pledge fund drive, parents are ensuring that Westerly is sending down roots.
The Campus Master Plan Becomes Reality
The Westerly Campus Master Plan was formally adopted by the Board of Trustees in the Summer of 2007 and includes: the Westerly Arts Village, the Westerly Pavilion, and the Academic Quad with a library and new, permanent classrooms. The building of these facilities is the largest, most dramatic, and most ambitious project undertaken since the founding of the School in 1993. It is an opportunity for each and everyone one of us to be a positive force in the long-term history and future of Westerly School. The Lead Project of the Campus Master Plan includes the Ray Bizjack Arts Village (Phase I) and the Westerly Pavilion (Phase II). Construction for the Ray Bizjack Arts Village, dedicated to the visual and performing arts, will begin in the Fall of 2008.
Just one year after formal adoption of the Campus Master Plan, construction is scheduled to begin on the Ray Bizjack Arts Village (left-hand side of the drawing) this fall. The next phase of the plan would be the Westerly Pavilion (upper right-hand corner), followed by the Academic Quad (center).
- Lead Project
The RayBizjackArtsVillage:
Fostering Creative and Independent Thinking
Westerly's Philosophy calls for encouraging creative and independent thinking, cultivating an appreciation for the arts, and combining academics with experiential, hands-on learning. The Ray Bizjack Arts Village makes that philosophy a reality.
Westerly Showcases Its Arts Program
One of Westerly's many strengths is its arts program. At Westerly, the arts thrive. From standing-room only musical performances to photography exhibits at the Long Beach Museum of Art; from the collaboration on the original opera “Sergio: the Magic Sweatshirt” to the staging of multiple performances of “Annie” at the Jewish Community Center; and from studying pre-history and the cave paintings of Lascaux to replicating that experience in the classroom, arts is integral to the Westerly curriculum.
The RayBizjackArtsVillage Is Integrated into the Campus
Those who visit Westerly School are often surprised at the spacious campus as it unfolds behind the first buildings on 29th street. They are also surprised at the extent of plants and trees and the expanse of grassy playfields. Westerly is fortunate to own a 5.5-acre campus and have it permanently zoned for institutional use by the City of Long Beach. The Ray Bizjack Arts Village takes advantage of this spaciousness to integrate the Arts Village into the existing Westerly Park and with the Rampino Family Amphitheatre.
The notion of park and forest is preserved with the Music Studio and the Arts Studio nestled in the natural environment. The use and functionality of the Rampino Family Amphitheatre is extended with the addition of an open-air band shell that provides a stage with the Music Studio as a backdrop.
A Music Studio Designed, Built and Equipped for Sound
Results from the 2007 Back-to-School Parent Survey, overwhelmingly demonstrate the support and appreciation for the Westerly music program. The Senn Family Music Studio kicks that experience up with a recording control room, sound-proof practice studios, storage and office space, and a larger practice/performance room whose wall rolls up to reveal the outdoor stage at the end of the Amphitheatre. Designed by an acoustical engineer, the Music Studio supports both small and large audiences.
The Visual Arts Have Space and Light
The Pinckert Family Arts Studio more than doubles the current area devoted to the visual arts. This new facility includes dedicated areas for drying art works and storing materials. The studio space itself will open onto dual outdoor areas. One side of the studio opens onto an outdoor workroom where pottery wheels, large format canvases, and other projects can be staged. On the other side, the Arts Studio opens onto the Seaver Family Arts Plaza that joins the Music Studio. This area is designed to be a place for creating environmental art using lighting, fabric, hangings, and yet unimagined media by the students.
Westerly Teachers Are Already Creating New Uses
And while all of these facilities are dedicated to the visual and performing arts, other Westerly faculty members are already dreaming of ways to incorporate that outdoor space into their curricula for some types of science experiments or having students find their poetry muse sitting in the Ray Bizjack Arts Village while working on a writing assignment. The budget for the Arts Village includes not only the basics such as the buildings, grounds, and utilities it also provides for the interior, the equipment and the supplies necessary to make the Westerly arts program a signature benefit of the School.
- How to Give
How to Give
Please help Westerly send down permanent roots in Long Beach with your five-year pledge to the Ray Bizjack Arts Village. You will find your pledge form here. With your pledge, you are helping Westerly permanently continue to make its mark in the community and in the lives in the hundreds of students and families past, present and future who take advantage of the opportunities provided by the School.
Naming Opportunities & Donor Recognition Leave a Legacy
Naming Opportunities provide donors with an opportunity to demonstrate their love and commitment to education and to the community. There are six specific Naming Opportunities listed below for both exterior and interior building locations. They are available on a first-request basis pending ratification by the Board of Trustees and confirmation by the donor with an initial payment of 10% of the total pledge commitment.
The Ray Bizjack Arts Village (exterior recognition). Reserved.
The Seaver Family Arts Plaza (exterior recognition) in the Arts Village. Reserved.
The Pinckert Family Arts Studio (exterior recognition) in the Arts Village. Reserved.
The Senn Family Music Studio (exterior recognition) in the Arts Village. Reserved.
Music Practice Room A (interior recognition): $150,000 or $30,000 per year.
Music Practice Room B (interior recognition): $150,000 or $30,000 per year.
In addition to these naming opportunities, all donors to the Sending Down Roots campaign will receive recognition on a donor wall. The ultimate success of the Sending Down Roots campaign to build an Arts Village depends upon individuals and families like yours who choose to make a difference to Westerly's arts program by giving your financial support.
- Other Ways to Give
Gifts in Kind
The School is happy to accept gifts in-kind that are pre-approved by the Development Office to ensure proper placement of the gift. The Development Office also identifies areas where gifts are needed.
Gifts of Securities
Incorporating charitable giving into your overall financial plan can be the most effective and efficient way to make your contributions go farther. You can contribute publicly traded stocks, bonds and mutual funds to Westerly by transferring them from your existing brokerage account to the Westerly brokerage account at Smith Barney. The securities will then immediately be sold with proceeds being immediately sent to Westerly. In order to receive your tax advantage from this in 2008 please contact us by December 15th.
Include Westerly in Your Estate Planning
Planned giving (or "charitable gift planning"), refers to the process of making a charitable gift of estate assets to a nonprofit organization. Including Westerly in an estate plan provides for the long term fiscal health of Westerly and gives donors the opportunity to receive immediate or deferred tax benefits while leaving a legacy.
Matching Gifts
Many businesses and corporations match their employees' contributions to non-profit organizations, usually dollar-for-dollar. Last year, more than $15,000 was contributed by the employers of parents, grandparents and friends to a variety of programs at Westerly. Inquire at your or your spouse’s human resources department; many companies provide this benefit, allowing you to double your gift to Westerly.
Grants
Westerly also strives to attain grants from foundations and corporate giving entities for School needs. Because these grants are quite competitive, it is extremely helpful to have a contact within the funding organization. If you or your extended family have contacts with philanthropic agencies, please contact the Development Office.
PTO Fundraising Programs
Here are some simple, free and easy ways to earn money for the Westerly Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)! We ask all parents to sign up for eScrip and grocery stores community programs. Don't forget to have family and friends sign up too!
- eScrip (3-15% rebate, varies)
Register your Vons, Pavilions, Macy's, debit and credit cards for use in the program. Every time you use them, eScrip will make a contribution to Westerly. You can sign up by visiting www.escrip.com.
Westerly receives contributions based on your purchases at Ralph’s when you enter your Club Card number or phone number at the cash register. If you don’t know your Club Card number you can call 800-660-9003 and ask for your Club number. You can then register your Ralph’s card online at www.ralphs.com/ccprogram.htm.
- Albertson’s Card (4% rebate)
Westerly receives contributions based on your purchases at Albertson’s when you enter your Club Card number or phone number at the cash register. If you don’t know your Club Card number you can call 877-932-7948 and ask for your Club number. You can then register your Albertson’s card at http://www.albertsons.com/abs_inthecommunity.
- School-Pop (Varies, up to 36% REBATE)
If you are an online shopper, Westerly can benefit. Just go to www.schoolpop.com, sign in and select “Westerly School” as your beneficiary. When you select a merchant link, you are taken directly to the merchant's website, and your purchase automatically contributes a percentage to Westerly. This site has hundreds of name brand national merchants such as Barnes & Noble, Gap and the Disney Store, which all help raise money for our School.
When you use your Target ® Visa ® or Target Guest Card ® Westerly receives a contribution. Just visit www.target.com/tcoe, or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate Westerly.
While shopping for your business or school supplies at Office Depot give them Westerly’s ID # 70116735 and Westerly will receive a rebate. Use online at www.officedepot.com or in store.
Earn rebates every time you swipe your Washington Mutual VISA Checkcard. For more information or to sign-up, visit a bank branch or www.wamoolaforschools.com.
- Printer Cartridges and Cell Phones
Recycle your printing cartridges and cell phones in our eScrip recycle bin in the front office. Westerly receives between $1 and $10 per item!
Doughboys, Westerly’s uniform provider offers a wide selection of uniforms to choose from. In addition Doughboys donates 10% of all your purchases to Westerly.
Lands’ End has Westerly School’s logo on file which you can have put on appropriate school uniforms. In addition they donate 3% of all your purchases to Westerly. Visit www.landsend.com/school and use Westerly’s preferred school #900064080 to place your order.
- Make a Gift
How to Make a Gift
If you would like to make a donation to Westerly, you can:
- Make a gift online using your credit card or from your bank account.
- Contact Christine Downie, Director of Development at (562) 981-3151 to make a gift by credit card and/or set up a payment plan.
- Send a donation (cash or check) to:
WesterlySchool
Development Office
2950 E. 29th Street
Long Beach, CA90806
