AROUND PACE
Spotlight on Reid Funston, 2013–14 Annual Fund Chair As the parents of four Pace students, there’s no doubt that Reid and Cathy Funston are pleased with their school choice. The family moved to Atlanta from Boston in 2000, when Funston and his business partner, former Pace parent Ted Davies, helped start Reicon Capital, a private asset management firm. When the Funstons later considered schools for their oldest son, Reid ’16, Pace quickly moved to the front of the pack. “What really stood out to us was Pace’s diverse community and the manner in which it seemed to celebrate all of its students’ successes and interests, whether academic, athletic or artistic,” Funston says. “With four kids with very divergent interests spanning debate, tennis, cross country, music and various academics, the diversity was very appealing. In addition, we consistently came in contact with Pace families whose stories confirmed our initial impressions that Pace could be a good fit for all of our children. On so many levels, Pace was at the top of the list.” In the end, it was a family decision: “We just fell in love with Pace.” Since then, Will ’19, Sidney ’21 and Grace ’21 have joined Reid at Pace. “We’ve been thrilled,” Funston says. So thrilled, in fact, that he and Cathy have thrown themselves into the life of the school. They served as Middle School division co-chairs for the Aim High campaign, Cathy co-chaired the 50th annual Pace Fall Fair, and Funston has volunteered to lead this year’s Annual Fund. For the Funstons, philanthropy is strategic: “Cathy and I try to focus our efforts where we feel we can have the biggest impact personally, professionally and financially,” Funston says. Right now, Pace fits the bill. “I don’t think there’s a building at Pace—or at any other college or independent school for that matter—that has been built with tuition dollars,” he explains when talking about the success of Aim High. “Cathy and I really do believe that we as parents have to give back to make those ‘extras’ possible. We feel it’s our responsibility to try and be as forthcoming and as generous as those that came before us, and from whose generosity and efforts we’ve benefitted. Clearly that sentiment seems to have been echoed in the parents’ and Pace community’s huge support of Aim High.”
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KnightTimes | Fall 2013
But Funston feels that that generosity should extend beyond capital campaigns. “While I’m sensitive to moving on to the Annual Fund on the heels of a very recent and successful Aim High campaign, the Annual Fund fills another need, providing important support for programming not met by tuition,” he says. “It doesn’t go to fund an endowment, it goes directly toward our outstanding programs at Pace. If we don’t meet that Annual Fund goal, programming for our kids suffers.” Consequently, Funston and the Advancement Office have lofty goals for this year’s Annual Fund. “In addition to exceeding our fundraising goal of $1,000,000, we’d love to achieve 100-percent parent participation and have every family give at a personally meaningful level,” he says. “While we certainly have a dollar goal, I’m less concerned about what a family gives than I am that they do give. We’re too small and intimate a community for every Pace family not to participate. Every dollar is important, and I think that if we all give what we can, the total will take care of itself.” He speaks from experience. A graduate of Sewanee, the University of the South and, with Cathy, the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Funston has been actively involved in campaigns for both institutions, most recently as a co-chair of Chicago’s annual fund. However, he’s particularly excited about this Pace campaign and is exceedingly confident in the generosity of the school community. “My experience at other institutions has been that it can be difficult sometimes to convey a compelling enough message to prompt people to give, particularly in the absence of something concrete like a new Upper School,” he says. “Here at Pace though, many already understand the message around the Annual Fund, and the process is frankly more supported and enjoyable. I’ve found that Pace parents are happy to give because they’re so pleased with the school, its mission and their overall experience. We’re just very happy to be a part of this place.”