THE CAMPAIGN IS OFF TO A STRONG START
We are very encouraged with the support and generosity that the Collingwood community has already demonstrated to Building Excellence: The Campaign for Collingwood.
We consider it imperative that every Collingwood family be given the opportunity to be a part of building the new Morven campus.
To that end, we will be meeting personally with each family and inviting you to be a part of the next chapter in Collingwood's history. Many professionals and volunteers from our Board and Senior Leadership Team to our architects and project manager have been working hard behind the scenes for many months, and we are excited to share the vision and plans of these new facilities with you. These personal meetings will give you and your family the opportunity to have your own questions answered about the project, and to hear firsthand from volunteers the benefits of the campaign and opportunities that the new school will afford your children.
CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEERS PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE
We have a strong, committed group of parent volunteers who are passionate about the project and campaign and who have already dedicated sizable amounts of time to the cause. Their enthusiastic endorsement of Collingwood's future is inspiring, and they look forward to sharing that enthusiasm with you. These volunteers, along with Headmaster Rodger Wright or Executive Director of Advancement Susan Hazell, will be inviting you to meet to discuss the campaign and what role you can play.
You will be invited to make a gift to the campaign, which is an investment in the future of Collingwood. Making this invitation in a personal face-to-face meeting builds and strengthens the Collingwood community, providing you the opportunity to meet and speak with other Collingwood families. It also allows us demonstrate our respect of your continuing commitment to the school and its students.
PROJECTED SCALE OF GIVING
The goal of our campaign is $10 million. To help understand how we will reach our goal we have created a Projected Scale of Giving. The chart illustrates the range of gifts we will be looking for to ensure the success of the campaign. Families will be asked to make gifts proportionate to their means, over and above their annual contributions to the school. The Scale of Giving also demonstrates how gifts pledged over a period of time can be structured.
We can all ensure that Building Excellence: The Campaign for Collingwood is a success. I am a proud parent of three Collingwood students, one current and two alumni, so I understand the level of care and enthusiasm that every staff and faculty member has for the School and for the students. I also believe there is so much more potential and the new Morven project will allow that potential to flow freely. As a School we are dedicated to the Four Strands: let each of us lead by example in "Service" to our children. I am honoured to Chair the campaign and ask you to join with me in making a gift. Let us come together as a community to build our School's future and all the greatness that future will hold
- John O'Neill, Campaign Chair
A MESSAGE FROM DAVE AND TAMARA BUSTOS. . .
 Dave and Tamara Bustos have been a part of Collingwood School for ten years, when they first enrolled their daughter Ainsley in Mrs. O'Hara's Kindergarten class at Wentworth back in September 2003. Their son Duncan followed, also joining the school in Kindergarten. For Dave and Tamara, Collingwood is a great fit for their family. "Ainsley and Duncan are very different individuals and Collingwood gives them everything they need to pursue their passions, be it dance, the arts or sports. They've had so many opportunities, including travel with Collingwood to other parts of Canada and around the world. The relationships that they have developed with teachers have been very personal and meaningful, and the many connections and sense of belonging that we have felt as a family to the Collingwood community help to make this a special place and give us that neighbourhood school culture."
For the Bustos family, Collingwood is a home away from home. From the beginning, both Tamara and Dave have volunteered at the school in a number of different capacities. Dave has been a member of the Board of Governors for six years and has been involved on the Finance, Nominating and Strategic Planning Committees. He currently chairs the Governance Committee. "I believe in the School, in Management and in the direction they are taking. I believe that it is important to support this and the culture that is being created, which differentiates Collingwood from other schools."
Tamara, who is a professional counsellor and has worked with many public and private schools in the Vancouver area, has also found time to volunteer on Parents' Council, with Spring Fair and as a Class Parent Rep for seven years. "Collingwood is part of our family life - it's part of the family dinner conversation, and for Dave and me volunteering further integrates Collingwood into our lives and further connects us with our children's world."
The Morven Redevelopment Project is one that Dave and Tamara fully support for so many reasons. "The new Morven will open up so many more opportunities for the students. More importantly, the enhanced environment of the new Morven campus will now align with what one would expect of a first class school with an outstanding faculty. When we see what other schools are building or have built, this new Morven really will give Collingwood the competitive edge our school needs and students deserve."
Supporting this capital campaign, Building Excellence: The Campaign for Collingwood, was an important decision for the Bustos family. "We feel a responsibility to give back to the place that has done so much for our kids. Collingwood aligns with our beliefs in raising our children. When we look at the Wentworth Campus and all the enhancements there, we've been the beneficiaries of those parents and donors before us."
With this capital campaign, the school is hoping to have face to face meetings with all of our families, and Dave and Tamara met with two school representatives earlier this year. "It was an important opportunity to hear first-hand from those who know the project best, including what it will mean for our children but also the generations that will follow. It was eye-opening to have the plans laid out in front of us and to have representatives from the school walk us through the project. The meeting gave us a much better understanding of the potential and passion for the changes that you just can't get from a printed brochure or letter. Anytime you make an investment, you want to fully understand how your capital is going to be used. We believe in this cause and we are really excited to make a thoughtful and meaningful donation to such a key project. This is an investment on behalf of not only our kids, but the future of Collingwood."
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