Dear Friends,

We want to take a moment before the 2020/21 school year begins to thank you for your continuing support of Sidwell Friends. Together, we are navigating our “new normal” because of this community’s generosity. Your Annual Fund gifts in 2019/20 ensured that the School could address its immediate operating needs—even those that weren’t in the budget, like increased financial aid for families during the economic crisis and technologies that enabled faculty and students to transition to distance learning. Endowed and unrestricted gifts also strengthened the School’s long-term financial position. 

We see the strength of our philanthropic community reflected in the determination and purpose of those we teach—our students and alumni. 

Here are just a few examples of how their service has made a difference within our School and local communities: 

• Faced with the sudden end of their promising robotics season, Luke Primis ’20, Kamran Rowhani ’21, and Ian Palk ’20 were “Friends in Deed” who used 3D printers to produce face shields for medical and emergency personnel throughout the DC region. 

• Amanda Castel ’91 (P ’21, ’24), Ali Mohamedi ’94 (P ’23, ’26, ’28, ’31), and Channing Paller ’97 are helping the School prepare for the fall by sharing their expertise alongside other parents and alumni on our medical advisory team. 

• Jeffrey Mazique ’70 (P ’05, ’17), spoke to students and shared his personal experience working with COVID patients in indigenous communities in rural northern Michigan. 

• Christopher Brown ’86, Dax-Devlin Ross ’93, and members of the Black Alumni Alliance worked with Natalie Randolph ’98 to guide discussions that will lead to a forthcoming Equity, Justice, and Community strategic action plan.

We hope these stories inspire you, as they’ve inspired us, to embrace opportunities to be of service in your neighborhoods, your cities, and Sidwell Friends.

As we approach a new school year, this philanthropic community—alumni, parents of current students and alumni, grandparents, and current and former faculty and staff—continues to serve students and faculty as they maneuver through these uncertain times. 

Our comprehensive campaign enables us to do so because it directly supports the School’s top priority: delivering a remarkable Quaker education. As a core component of the campaign, the Annual Fund provides Sidwell Friends the flexibility to prioritize its highest and most urgent needs. In 2020/21, these include: increased requests for financial aid; additional support for teachers; facility modifications and services that promote clean air and physical distancing; ongoing COVID-19 testing and health equipment; and new technologies for equitable distance learning. 

And because supporting our students means looking towards their future educational needs as well as those of today, we will continue this year to present gift proposals for renovations for the new Upper School and to build enduring financial strength. 

This fall, volunteer leaders will host virtual presentations and conversations about the School’s finances and the importance of philanthropy. We hope you will be able to join one of these sessions. In the meantime, if you have questions or would like to learn more about the School’s finances or need for philanthropy, we encourage you to speak with a campaign volunteer. Please contact Dawn K. Davis, Campaign Coordinator, at davisd@sidwell.edu for assistance in connecting with a volunteer.  

We continue to hold you and your loved ones in the Light, and again thank you for the many ways in which you lift our community during this challenging time. 

With gratitude,
Jason Carroll ’96
Co-Chair, Campaign Leadership Phase Steering Committee

Mark Jacobsen (P ’24, ’27)
Co-Chair, Campaign Leadership Phase Steering Committee