A school is just bricks and mortar. The real value comes from the teachers and staff who have the expertise and skill to work with our students and meet their individual needs. We are committed to having the best staff possible. Our Legacy Campaign is our most important tool for guaranteeing that Frostig will be able to hire and retain the kind of staff who can make a difference.
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Why is it called the “Legacy” campaign? The members of the Board all believe that their day to day support of the Center is important. But more important is ensuring that their support continues to help our staff even after their tenure on the Board ends. They decided to establish this campaign as a way to provide perpetual support for teachers’ salaries. It is the legacy of our board members, parents and friends to provide financial support for the most critical part of our school’s mission: to pay our teachers what they are worth and to ensure we attract and retain the best teachers we can.
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How does the campaign work? EVERY dollar we raise, up to $2.5 million, will be matched by one of our donors. He will use the power of ElectroShop (our annual home electronics sale) to make this match. Starting this year (but for a limited time) every dollar through contributions and pledges creates two dollars for the Legacy Fund. Thus, we will be able to create a special fund of $5 million for the perpetual support of our professional staff.
How can you help? You can help us reach our goal by pledging to support the funding match. We are currently planning to raise the $5 million over the next 5 years. Many donors have made multi-year commitments (i.e. a total amount, available in 5 annual installments). Many others have pledged a fixed amount and said it is available in the first year or spread over several years, depending on the level of ElectroShop sales to be matched. Others have made donations up front, to be applied later as ElectroShop sales are achieved. We are extremely flexible in how you would like to structure your gift, and are of course grateful for any support you can give.
How do you pledge? You can contact me, Bennett Ross, Executive Director or Lorena in our Development Office to talk about the campaign and ways you might provide support.
Our Stories
Before Frostig, Chantel had been in a residential program for students with significant emotional, behavioral, and conduct disorders. We felt that her emotional problems were caused by the frustration she experienced trying to overcome her learning disabilities. Since she has been with us her conduct problems have fallen away and she is learning.
Kathy has a neurological tic disorder (Tourette’s syndrome). Her tics are expressed vocally and very pronounced, causing her to make involuntary grunting sounds when she is stressed. In other schools she had been teased and picked on. This past year she was elected student body President at Frostig.
Derick is diagnosed as autistic. His parents were told he would never talk. At our most recent production of “Grease,” Derick clearly and beautifully sang and delivered lines as the lead in the production.
When John joined us, he could barely read. He was over 4 years behind academically. Now in 10th grade, he recently took the high school exit exam, which he is required to pass before the end of 12th grade. He passed both the language arts and the math on his first try.
Monica has been here for 10 years. She has significant learning disabilities which affect all academic areas. At first she was anxious and afraid, even unwilling to go to the bathroom by herself. She has passed both parts of the high school exit exam. She now writes and performs on the guitar her own songs with amazing stage presence. One of her films was shown at a city-wide film festival. This past year she interned at one of the city’s major museums.
This is Oncha’s second year at Frostig. She was born in Russia and was placed in an orphanage at birth. Subsequently she was adopted and enrolled in public school. There she was misdiagnosed and placed in a program for students with “mental retardation.” Now in our program she is making good progress in all academic areas and has shown that she is most definitely not developmentally disabled.
When Herman came to Frostig he was a follower of the worst kids with the worst behaviors. He was impulsive, easily offended, and difficult with teachers. He is now an articulate, self aware leader. At our graduation ceremony, he was the gentleman who helped a student on crutches to maneuver up and down the stairs to the stage.
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