The last year was one which, unfortunately, required us to suspend a number of our in-person enrichment programs, including two years of the Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat, the highly successful and popular after-school clubs, and the summer S’Mores reading program.
In a year that closed us off from each other more than ever before, students who rely on the commitment, community, and network of their schools and the school staff were even more underserved. Many of us missed out on relationships, connections, and opportunities, but these students more than most suffered from this lack of enrichment.
We are so grateful for teachers and school staff who continued to go beyond what was asked of them to reach out to these students. We are grateful to our donors who continued to support this fund so that, when opportunity did arise, the funds were still available to support our students.
We are proud that this spring, we were able to provide scholarships to more students than ever, in larger amounts than ever. The Mark Morris Fund accounted for more than $6,000 of the total scholarship funding awarded at the Senior Ceremony this spring, with 15 students receiving awards. In addition, we were able to resume funding for other enrichment opportunities this spring. (You can visit the Fund Allocation History page for further details.)
We plan to award even more students next year, in conjunction with resuming our previous enrichment activities. We couldn’t do that without the tireless efforts of our partners in the schools, and of course, without the continued generosity of our donors. Thank you for looking outside yourselves in a challenging year to give opportunity to others.