Marcia Brown, SHS ’15 Alums Pay It Forward by Giving Back Another major source of giving is coordinated alumni gifts, like the campaign from the Class of 1950/January 1951 that raised more than $200,000. Thanks to the passion and dedication of those alums, nearly 100 Shaker students have benefited from a Summer Academy for rising ninth-graders who were identified as being at risk of not succeeding academically. The generous class gift also funded teacher creativity grants, career exploration, and college entrance exam preparation. Recent alumna Marcia Brown, ’15, tapped into the Foundation as a way to give back to her school even before she graduated. Realizing that many of her peers were missing out on co-curricular activities because they needed to hold down an after-school job, Brown created a program called Beyond the Desk. The program provides scholarships for up to five students each year who meet eligibility requirements based on economic need and employment status. In her senior year, Brown approached the Foundation and asked for their help in establishing a fund for this purpose. She persuaded her fellow class members to raise money for the program as part their senior class project, and she also raised funds privately – all to the tune of more than $11,000 in less than a year. Now enrolled at Princeton University, Brown stays closely connected to the program, and the Foundation manages a portion of those funds as an endowment to ensure the long-term viability of Beyond the Desk. In recognition of her efforts, Brown recently received the Youth in Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Photo: Jason Miller
Winter_ShakerLife_2017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above