Generous Donors Exceed Giving Tuesday Matching Challenge!
Shaker Schools Foundation took place in Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement to inspire people to give and to give back in their own community. SSF secured two anonymous matching gifts totaling $11,500 to encourage donations from Tuesday, November 19 through Giving Tuesday on December 3. All gifts given to the Shaker Schools Foundation during this time period were matched one-to-one, up to a total of $11,500.
SSF is pleased to announce that the effort was a great success! Our generous community of alumni, parents, staff and other community members exceeded the match and donated $24,099 during the two week period.
Including the $11,500 in matching funds, a total of $35,599 was raised from gifts from 110 donors. These funds will assist the Shaker Schools Foundation in its mission to provide resources to enrich the educational experiences of all students in the Shaker Heights City Schools.
As a gesture of appreciation to colleagues for all they do for our students, SSF also treated all district staff to cider and donuts on Giving Tuesday.
Thanks to all who made this effort a success!
Varsity Baseball Travels to Puerto Rico
Dear Raider Baseball Fans,
While an invaluable opportunity, the trip presents a sizable financial challenge for the baseball program and many of our Varsity baseball student-athletes, each of whom is responsible for the cost through a trip fee. Our goal is to work closely with each family to ensure that these types of travel and enrichment opportunities are available to all Varsity baseball student-athletes.
You can view important information about the trip and our goals here. Please consider joining parents, alumni, and friends of the baseball program in helping it continue providing its student-athletes with life-changing opportunities on and off the field.
Thank you for your consideration!
Mike Babinec
Head Baseball Coach
Chamber Orchestra Travels to New York
The high school Chamber Orchestra will perform at the National Orchestra Cup competition at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center on March 7, 2020.
Our chamber orchestra students will compete with only nine other orchestras from across the country at world-renowned Lincoln Center. The experience of participating in this competition and receiving feedback from top musicians (including conductors on faculty at Juilliard and New York Philharmonic) will be unforgettable and transformational!
This is a wonderful opportunity for our young musicians, but the trip presents a financial challenge many of our students. Please consider joining parents, alumni, and other friends of orchestra program in supporting our student musicians. Please read full details of the trip here.
New Fund: Shaker Legacy Writing Center Fund
Peter Routman Benmar, Class of 1987
A message from Amy Rosewater Halushka, Class of 1989:
Peter Routman Benmar (Class of 1987) and I became friends while working together at The Shakerite. Both of us were so fortunate to have a wonderful experience with the school newspaper as we both pursued journalism careers. Peter went on to write for The Cornell Daily Sun in college and later at The Times of Northwest Indiana and The Seattle Times. He spent many years working with Microsoft before becoming a senior content strategist for University of Washington Continuum College.
During the last two years of his life, Peter battled a rare and tenacious cancer, and sadly, he passed away on January 7, 2019, leaving behind his compassionate and supportive wife, Claudine, his daughters Katie and Brooke, his parents Regie and Frank Routman, and countless friends and colleagues.
Although Peter spent much of his later years in the Pacific Northwest, he was very proud of his Shaker connections and often spoke of his experience at Shaker Heights High School with fond memories.
I am proud to announce the creation of Shaker Legacy Writing Center Fund in memory of Peter Routman Benmar. The Writing Center provides a motivating place for peer-to-peer mentoring with writing – allowing students to help other students with their writing skills – assistance for college essays and other writing expertise. Additional funding through the Shaker Legacy Writing Center Fund will help students attend writing workshops, bring in authors to the school and aid with any infrastructure needs.
The Shaker Legacy Writing Center Fund truly is a living legacy to Peter, and I hope it will provide a great legacy to many Shaker students for decades to come. Please support The Shaker Legacy Writing Center Fund by donating here.
Donor Impact Report
This Donor Impact Report is our way of sharing our deep appreciation for your generosity and demonstrating the many ways we put your donations to work in service of our mission.
Annual Giving Guide
Check out our new Annual Giving Guide! Please give generously to the Shaker Schools Foundation’s Annual Giving Appeal. Through philanthropic support from our community, SSF will continue to support the extraordinary work of Shaker Heights City Schools. Together, we can give every child access to a great education and a bright future!
Legacy Fund
The Legacy Fund provides a permanent source of income to ensure Shaker’s tradition of excellence continues for future generations. You can create an endowed Legacy Fund gift at the Shaker Schools Foundation during your lifetime or you may choose to create it through a planned gift such as a bequest, trust, IRA charitable rollover or charitable gift annuity. Your gift may support a designated purpose or program or can provide ongoing operational support. Please call Executive Director Holly Coughlin at 216-295-4329 to discuss gift types, levels and designations.
Special Initiatives
With the support of the Fernway neighborhood and the larger Shaker Heights community, the Shaker Schools Foundation is coordinating the Fernway Forward Campaign to raise support for the Fernway outdoor space.
The Travel Assistance Fund helps Shaker students expand their worldview and experience other cultures through international travel.
The Innovation Fund supports STEAM initiatives that provide hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Other Named Funds provide support for a variety of programs. The full list of funds can be found here.
Ways to Give
The Shaker Schools Foundation welcomes gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations in any amount and in a variety forms.