ALUMNI AND FRIENDS COUNCIL MISSION STATEMENT The common purpose of the Alumni and Friends Council (AFC) is alumni outreach with the goal of cultivating relationships that engage with the School, the current student body, and each other. We aim to promote the lifelong sustainability of the School by creating and growing an endowment for our diverse student body through scholarships and financial aid. We aspire to be a unified and cohesive voice for alumni on behalf of the school. Since the spring of 2019, a small but dedicated group of Happy Valley and Besant Hill alumni have been working to organize an alumni association, and we are happy to announce that we have reached our goal and have established the Alumni and Friends Council (AFC). At the January 2021 meeting of the Happy Valley Foundation (HVF), the Board of Directors voted to make the AFC an official committee of the Board. Two new members of the HVF Board, Summer Galante ('07) and Terry Elguera ('60), are currently serving as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, and Kylie Berry ('19) is serving as the Communications Officer.
The AFC Committee has been working on short- and long-term goals as part of a strategic planning process. One short-term goal of including an Alumni link on the BHS website has already been achieved. Another goal is to develop a mentorship program so that alumni can more easily connect and share both professional expertise and networks. Long term, the AFC is planning to organize an event in Spring 2022 that will bring alumni to the campus in Ojai. To get connected with the AFC and other alumni, please visit http:// alumni.besanthill.org!
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