The Webb Fund For The Community

We can’t thank our community enough for joining us and making Webb stronger.

Connecting with our community led to great conversations and the overwhelming response was, “How can I help Webb?”

Gifts made to The Webb Fund provide immediate support for the schools’ operating budget. The 2019-20 year was like no other. As an institution we were faced with unique and challenging decisions. Like many schools, the students returned home, Webb moved from in-person to remote learning, and we found ourselves connecting with people in different parts of the world virtually. The Advancement team temporarily put fundraising on hold to focus on checking in with the community to ensure that everyone was safe and healthy. Connecting with our community led to great conversations and the overwhelming response was, “How can I help Webb?” Year after year the Webb community shows its strength in its resilience, and that was more important than ever this past spring. Alumni, parents, and friends made gifts to The Webb Fund that had an immediate impact on our students and faculty. Many members of our community made generous gifts to help Webb surpass its ambitious $2 million goal. Alumnus Graham Campbell ’37, one of Webb’s most loyal supporters, made his 25th consecutive annual gift to The Webb Fund. Graham has been a longtime supporter of The Webb Fund and we are so grateful for others like him who continue to support Webb and the Alf Museum.

In response to the impact of COVID-19, Giving Day was revamped and held over a 48-hour period. Now with its new name, Giving Days: Webb Fund for The Community, Webb sent a strong message of supporting The Webb Fund during this critical time. The response to Webb’s needs was overwhelming. Alumni and parents created over 14 challenges and matches to help bring the community together. Within 48 hours Webb exceeded its goal by raising over $500,000 dollars. To help make Giving Days a huge success, alumna Jenna Gambaro ’95 challenged VWS alumnae to make a gift. Not only was her challenge met, but VWS alumnae, like Kathy Chen Liu ’99 and Jennifer Tong ’90 made leadership gifts that helped increase alumni participation. Gifts from all over the world were being made; 27 states and 11 countries participated in Giving Days and joined us as we broke multiple giving records in a short amount of time.

During the final minutes, a board member and alumnus donated $150,000 in support of The Webb Fund. This donor decided to make an immediate impact by making a gift where it was needed most, and inspired others to make unrestricted gifts a priority. The Fargo Family, parents of a current student and a recent alumnus (Max ’21 and Mitchell ’17, pictured left) and longtime supporters of Webb, made their annual gift during Giving Days. Gifts were being made until the last second providing support for financial aid for students and families, faculty and staff support, academic programming and technology support, and the health and safety of our campus environment now and in the months and years to come. We can’t thank our community enough for joining us and making Webb stronger. Our community makes Webb a place we can all call home.