Scan here to view a video of Dick and Olga talking about the Field of Dreams.
OUR FIELD OF DREAMS By Jodi Schapiro, Chief Advancement Officer
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hen Dick and Olga Robertson, parents of Sofi ’24, learned about Dr. Bob Dworkoski’s plans to raise the funds needed to finish Viewpoint’s Master Plan, they knew that they were all in! Dick, a leader on the Advancement Committee of Viewpoint’s Board of Trustees, and Olga, an active Viewpoint parent volunteer, understood that the community needed a lead gift to provide the momentum. They surprised and delighted our community with their extraordinary generosity, announcing to the Board of Trustees their intention to lead the campaign with a $1 million cash gift. The decision to honor Dr. Dworkoski by helping to finish what he started came easily. “OLGA AND I WERE sold on the Viewpoint educational experience from the first moment we first stepped on campus several years ago,” Dick shared, “and our appreciation for Viewpoint and this community has only grown over time.” “We wanted to do this to honor 30 years of Dr. Dworkoski’s service to Viewpoint School. I know that the new athletic field and completing the Master Plan will be beneficial not only for Sofi, but also for the many generations of Viewpoint students who will follow,” expressed Olga. “As we contemplated making this gift we asked ourselves, ‘If not someone like us who cherishes Viewpoint so much, then who? And, if not now, when the School really needs this field, then when?’ We thought, let’s try and make this leadership gift happen now in the hopes that we can inspire our fellow moms and dads at Viewpoint to participate,” Dick added. SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT of the Robertson Family gift, over 500 alumni and current families, alumni, and friends, along with 100% of Viewpoint’s teachers, coaches, and staff have joined in the cause. The grassroots nature of this effort quickly took hold. In addition to their donation to the campaign earlier in the year, Viewpoint’s athletic coaches joined together to make a second collective gift to the campaign. Viewpoint’s parent community quickly formed the Parent Committee of the Dworkoski Legacy Fund, hosting informal grade-level gatherings to rally support, and our alumni community got behind our effort as well. The winter was filled with grade-level gatherings hosted by Brian and Leigh Glicklich, Peggy Jones and Parise Livanos, Sean and Tabitha Kane, and Scott and Zuzana Olofson, and the Parent Committee was rounded out by the participation of 1
Stephen and Eniko Earley, Chris and Zelene Fowler, Anthony Frederick and Kathryn Tjia Frederick, Peter and Elizabeth Gould, Chris and Lynn Hylen, Tony and Mary Rodriquez, Frank and Jaelle Watanabe, Jeffrey and Brooke Weiss, and Dr. Adrian and Elizabeth Yi. Following a beautiful gathering of Kindergarten parents at their home, Sean Kane reminded parents:
“We have an opportunity to give our kids memories built on a foundation of teamwork, determination, and heart.” Steve and Leslie Carlson, long-time friends and devoted leaders of Viewpoint School, joined in the effort, with their fourth lead capital campaign gift to Viewpoint School. Steve, a trustee emeritus, made an unexpected visit to the Board of Trustees meeting in February to announce their gift, explaining, “I’m about finishing things. Bob, this is for you. You deserve to have your vision completed, after 30 years of devoting your life to Viewpoint. Leslie and I hope that this gift of $300,000 will inspire others to join in – $3 million is not that much for a community as great as ours to raise for such an important cause.” With our goal of raising $3 million within reach1, plans are underway to complete our new West Campus Athletic Center, which includes a state-of the-art athletic field and renovations to our existing pool, locker rooms, and coaches’ offices. “Viewpoint is a generous, optimistic, and ‘all-in’ community, and I am confident that our families will get us over the finish line, so that we may complete this third phase of our original Master Plan for the 2016-17 school year,” Viewpoint’s Head of School, Mark McKee, expressed and further shared: “This new field and updated athletic facilities will benefit all students K–12, not only the youngest. A second field will provide much-needed open space and new playground equipment for our younger students, and will bring back to campus over 70 home games and over one hundred hours of practice for our Middle and Upper School athletes. This project makes a difference for every Viewpoint student.” THANK YOU TO THOSE who have already joined in. There is still time to become part of this exciting community effort. Every gift matters! Gifts of $3,000 or more will be honored on our Field of Dreams recognition wall. You can learn more at www.viewpoint.org/drdfund.
As of the date of this article, Viewpoint has raised $2.85 million toward its $3 million goal for the Dworkoski Legacy Fund. S P R I N G
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