The Marion High School Alumni Association, in conjunction with the Community Foundation of Grant County, is kicking off the Giant Dreams Endowed Giving Campaign to secure and enhance Marion Community Schools and improve opportunities for Marion students long into the future.
Each year, tens of thousands of dollars is needed to sustain the athletics and arts programs and enhance the academic offerings at MCS. This money is above and beyond the funding provided by the state to provide for basic education, transportation, routine maintenance costs, etc. Our goal is to raise $6 million total by spring 2020 so that the Giant Dreams Endowment Funds will provide sustained funding for these needs long-term. (We have five years to meet our goal, but the needs are very real now. The sooner we get these endowments filled, the sooner we can provide better opportunities for our present and future Giants!)
On April 22, 2015, Ferne Arlene Gregg, a proud member of MHS Class of 1932 with a passion for the arts, activated all three Giant Dreams Endowment funds (Arts, Academics, and Athletics) with very generous donations. Several other MHS alumni gathered with us at an MCS School Board meeting to signal their business or organization’s support for the campaign and to commit their donations to the endowed funds. All together, $150,000 was committed to the campaign that night. We believe that NOW is the time to act to ensure the continued success of Giants present and future. Will you join us?
>> The Ultimate Giant competition is now under way, and your gifts could earn you and your class recognition! Click to learn more about this competition.
Marion Community Schools has educated some of the brightest minds and most successful people in the world. Marion High School is recognized as one of the best schools in the state (with an A rating from the IDOE) and in the country (as a bronze medalist in U.S. News and World Report’s Best High Schools 2014 ranking). Yet area population and wealth has declined, and Grant County now faces the highest child poverty rate in the state. Funding from the state to help address those challenges is being drastically reduced. We believe that ALL children deserve the chance to succeed. It’s crucial to our community’s future. The time to help is NOW.
Needs met out of this endowed fund may include (but will not necessarily be limited to): equipment, supplies, and costs for programs, events, and academic teams.
Marion Community Schools has produced Broadway stars and other professional artists in many different fields, including music, dance, design, writing, photography, and more. But the discipline,
creativity and passion the arts instills has a tangible everyday impact for the thousands of MCS alumni working in diverse fields and making a difference in our community and our world. As we face the highest child poverty rate in the state, it’s more important than ever to give ALL students the chance to experience art. Your gift can change a student’s world!
Needs met out of this endowed fund may include (but will not necessarily be limited to): instruments, uniforms, supplies, equipment, and costs for events, competitions, travel, and guest artists, as
well as maintenance and improvement of the F. Ritchie Walton Performing Arts Center and other facilities.
Former Giants have found success in the NBA, NFL, MLB, PGA, LPGA, PBA, the Olympics, and more, but the importance of sports extends far beyond those few who play professionally. The thousands athletes who have been part of the Giant tradition have all learned about teamwork, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence. These sports programs, however, will not exist
without community support. It takes tens of thousands of dollars yearly just to keep our programs going. Big equipment/facility needs often go unmet. Help us prove that Giants Fight, Never Die!
Needs met out of this endowed fund may include (but will not necessarily be limited to): uniforms, equipment, costs for events, and facility maintenance/improvement.
How the endowed funds will work:
Your donation will be deposited into the endowed fund of your choice at the Community Foundation of Grant County.
The MHS Alumni Association’s Finance Committee, which includes representatives from Marion Community Schools, will oversee allocation of the funds, once they are available (approximately a year after the endowed funds were activated).
A process will be put in place by which MCS teachers and administrators can express needs and request funds.
The Community Foundation will oversee the endowment, and MHSAA will periodically report how the funds are utilized to the MCS School Board and other stakeholders.
>> Click here to give now or to learn more!
