Strong at Our C . O . R . E .
By Cindy Wagner
Our need to belong is often what drives us to seek out long-lasting relationships with others and can motivate us to participate in social activities that connect us to a community .
The Saint David ’ s Benefit is an amazing community building event with a long list of volunteers who meet often and get to know one another well . It is a labor of love . For me , participating on the Benefit team has been one of the highlights of being a Saint David ’ s parent and volunteer . What makes the Benefit so special is that it is a chance for everyone at Saint David ’ s to gather for a festive evening to celebrate the community . It is clear to all involved that the evening is a true community-building event in which no one is left behind .
When asked to chair the 2021 Benefit I was honored , but also naturally concerned about holding a benefit in the year of Covid-19 . Truthfully , an in-person benefit was simply unlikely and a virtual event with an auction did not feel quite right . The decision was made to postpone the Benefit , and while it was disappointing , it became obvious that planning for a party during a pandemic was not appropriate . Upon further reflection , it became crystal clear that what we really needed was for the community to come together in a slightly different way to help those in need . At that moment , the C . O . R . E . Emergency Aid Fund was established to help Saint David ’ s families in need of tuition support during the 2020-2021 school year .
One of the important objectives of the C . O . R . E . Emergency Aid Fund was to gather a group of dedicated volunteers that would help foster that sense of belonging to a community event . This objective felt even more important in a time when getting together in person was next to impossible . Our creative group of volunteers met almost weekly via Zoom for six months to make the Fund and its objectives come to life . Elements from the Benefit were
The Fund ’ s logo , designed by Sara DiPasquale , connotes the community , optimism , resilience and endurance at the core of Saint David ’ s .
borrowed to keep certain beloved traditions in place so that people could feel connected to the school and the cause .
The volunteers worked together to create offerings that embodied our theme . The C . O . R . E . logo and graphics , created by the talented Sara DiPasquale , stand for community , optimism , resilience and endurance – all attributes that were needed during this difficult year . Felicia Baer , Denise Plunkett and Tierney Smith led the Family Photo Journal team , and with the help of Classic Kids , successfully collected family photos allowing us to see everyone ’ s smiles once again . Shannon Hale and Krisi Sullivan designed a beautiful Saint David ’ s tie with the declaration that “ we may bend , but we never break ,” which was the tagline on the C . O . R . E . graphic design . The commemorative gift team of Fiona Simmonds and Kristen Williams created an awesome Saint David ’ s balance board to help us strengthen our physical cores . Alison Larsen and Liz O ’ Malley successfully held our beloved Headmaster for the Day Raffle won by Joey Stilwell in Omega . These offerings were masterfully marketed by Sara DiPasquale and Amanda Newman , who helped our ideas jump off the page and come to life . Christina Henderson offered us wonderful guidance throughout the process as the Parents Association liaison . I cannot thank this wonderful team of volunteers enough for their dedication .
Away from the traditional volunteer assignments , we needed a team of parents to focus on donor outreach and a core group of staff at Saint David ’ s to help make the Fund successful . Thank you to Anne Callender , Ursula Corgan , Sean Klimczak , Lee Lowenstein , and Alisa Wood for their help with fundraising . This dedicated donor outreach team also provided matching funds , alongside the Board of Trustees , of $ 101,500 that resulted in a successful Giving
26 • Saint David ’ s Magazine