On Wednesday, the Hillsdale Academy launched a new fundraising campaign that is part of an effort to raise money for the Hillsdale Academy Annual Fund.
Current students, their families, alumni, and college administrative staff all gathered at the school to view photographs and articles of the academy since its 1990 founding, socialize, and hear presentations. This is part of a new plan by the school designed to raise $100,000 for operating expenses. There was no charge to attend the event, but the academy is asking for donations.
There were formal presentations by Hillsdale College Provost David Whalen, a Hillsdale Academy parent involved in the fundraising, academy senior Chip Blood and academy alumna, and Hillsdale College sophomore Heather Lantis.
Academy Headmaster Ken Calvert said that while the academy has always been and will continue to be supported by the college, this is a supplemental program to raise money from families and friends of the school.
“I’m really excited about it,” Calvert said. “I have been hoping to do this for a few years now.”
The college will continue to help the academy financially over and above what the K-12 school receives in tuition. But now the academy is stepping in to help with the fundraising and to be a bigger part of the financial equation, Calvert said.
“The academy is part of the college,” said Sharon Thompson, the liaison between the college and the academy. “Nothing is changing. This is just a new endeavor for the school.”
The requests for donations will be targeted toward Hillsdale Academy families and friends, including local families and alumni as well as extended families and alumni across the country. The academy doesn’t currently have an alumni association, and Calvert said this fundraiser will help to establish that.
“It’s great that they’re trying to get families and alumni involved in giving back,” Lantis said. “The academy has gotten to a point where they’ve been around long enough and have an established alumni base so they can start doing something like this.”
Calvert said he realizes some can give smaller or larger amounts, but he hopes for 100 percent participation in the fundraiser from academy families.
Other plans for fundraising for the annual fund include a grandparents’ day and annual dinner.
The event will serve as a kickoff for the new effort.
“This is the moment when a new part of our life at Hillsdale Academy begins,” Calvert said. “We get to look at all the good things we’ve accomplished and get a vision for what the future will look like.”
