Dear Patriot Nation,
What a wonderful evening my wife, Janna, and I had at our annual illumination event at Ships of the Sea! Spirits were high and laughter abounded as we celebrated all things Habersham and commemorated the 10th anniversary of the founding of the school. A capacity crowd of over 250 people enjoyed a trip down memory lane as we heard testimonials from former students, teachers, administrators, and parents as to the impact The Habersham School has made on their lives, families, and careers. What a blessing it was to fellowship with this impressive community. Once again, I want to thank Mary Michael Davis and her committee for organizing and executing this extraordinarily fun event.
A bonus to the evening was the fact that we raised twice as much money from the auctions and raffles as last year, netting approximately $37,000. Consistent with virtually all private and Christian schools in our nation, The Habersham School must rely on additional fundraising in order to provide the excellent programs, personnel, and facilities that our students deserve. Tuition and fees cover 85% of the operating expenses of the school. According to data from the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), 20% of the average Christian school budget must be raised outside of tuition and fees. Habersham is actually ahead of the curve by relying on fundraising to provide approximately 15% of the operating revenue. Still, that translates to just under $400,000 that we must raise this year to meet our operating expenses. The good news is that we have already raised $103,000, primarily from the Board of Trustees, the faculty and staff, and a few generous parents and friends of the school. The challenging news is that we have almost $300,000 to go.
At illumination, I challenged all those in attendance to join Janna and me in making The Habersham School a priority in their giving plans. In fact, I challenged everyone to consider making the school one of their top three charities. For the McGee family, Habersham is now second only to our church, Stonebriar Community Church, in our giving plans. Although we have no children at the school and are not likely to ever have grandchildren attend, we believe that Christian education is one of the most important endeavors in which the Body of Christ is engaged. The Habersham School, joined by thousands of other Christian schools across the globe, are making disciples and preparing the next generation of Christian leaders. What could be more important than that?!
If you believe the mission of The Habersham School is essential and if you want to provide your children with the best teachers, curriculum, and resources the school needs to fulfill its mission, would you join 100% of the board and 100% of our teachers and administrators in giving to this year’s Habersham Fund? If 100% of our parents give (currently at 12%), we will surely meet and surpass our goal. We’re all in. How about you? Thank you for prayerfully considering a gift to this year’s Habersham Fund.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Bill McGee
Leave a Reply