Day of Giving - Parents' Fund

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Annual Day of Giving: Thank You Taft Community!

Taft alumni, current and former parents, grandparents, and friends from across the globe—as near as Watertown and as far away as New Zealand, China, and Turkey— helped to make this year’s Day of Giving the most successful one yet.

"We were hoping to exceed last year's total of 530 individual donors," said Annual Fund Director Kelsey Kerr P '07. "It is a testament to the strength of the Taft community that we went well beyond our goal, logging gifts from 764 individual donors. Those gifts represent commitments from every constituent category, from alumni and current parents, to grandparents, former parents, and friends."

Kerr credits Taft's alumni, current parent, and student telethon volunteers for much of the increase in Day of Giving support. Nine current student volunteers made 573 calls to alumni over the course of two hours. Their calls generated a total of 166 Day of Giving gifts and pledges totaling $46,356.

"Student participation means a lot, and gives alumni the opportunity to experience the energy and vibrancy that are hallmarks of campus life today," said Kerr.

Taft raised a total of $822,017 during this year’s initiative. Taft's current parents contributed $246,006 of the overall total.

"It was really an impressive number that represents the extraordinary generosity of Taft families," noted Parents' Fund Director Amy Gorman P'12,'14. "Our current parents are consistently supportive of the work we do, which directly benefits their children in every aspect of their lives at Taft."

Alumni engaged in friendly competition, with classes competing by decade to earn seat plaques in Bingham Auditorium. The overall winning class of all alumni was the Class of 1991 with 52 members, or 41% of the class, showing their school spirit on this important day.

The class winners were:

  • 1945
  • 1954
  • 1969
  • 1970
  • 1984
  • 1991
  • 2000
  • 2014

Of course, the biggest winners are the students who benefit from the loyal support of the Taft community.