Parents Fund Chair Letter

Dear Kenyon parents and grandparents,

It was both an honor and a privilege for us to serve as the co-chairs of the 2009 - 10 Kenyon Parents Fund (KPF). We wanted to take a moment to express our sincere thanks to each and every person that made a contribution to the 2009 - 10 KPF.

In July 2009, the beginning of the fundraising year, we aggressively set our KPF goal at $1.2 million, knowing that the economy might prevent us from exceeding the record $1.197 million achieved in 2007-08.

When the fundraising year ended on June 30, 2010, KPF contributions totaled $1,158,737. While our collective effort fell short of the monetary goal, we exceeded expectations in two respects. First, the level of contributions is the second highest amount ever raised for the KPF, remarkable in light of the economy. Second, and perhaps most important, the fundraising year ended with 52 percent current parent participation, which was up 3 percent from last year. This broad participation is reflective of the place that Kenyon has in the hearts of parents and grandparents and puts Kenyon at the top of the ranking of all colleges in terms of the breadth of parent giving.

None of this could have been achieved without your generosity. We would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the members of the Annual Giving staff, as well as Parents Advisory Council members and student phonathon workers, who reached out broadly to the community of Kenyon parents and grandparents.

We wanted to offer our special thanks to Ted and Andrea Giletti for leading the most successful Senior Parent Challenge ever, to class chairs Alan Baker and Lin Oliver, John and Beth Ey, and Marisa Arango Berry, and to Parents of Alumni chairs, Judy and Hal Higby.

Thank you again for your generosity and commitment to Kenyon. Your gift contributed directly to the educational experience of our children and grandchildren and assisted Kenyon in maintaining its standing as one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States.

Best regards,

Leslie S. Nelson and Jill Hayman, P '11
Co-Chairs, Kenyon Parents Fund