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This article was originally published in the winter 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In keeping with Harker’s culture and tradition of philanthropy, more than 1,000 families rallied to help meet the school’s historic $10 million Rothschild Matching Gift Challenge.
Chris Nikoloff, head of school, announced the remarkable achievement at the conclu- sion of the annual Family & Alumni Picnic on Oct. 12. He said that Jeff and Marieke Rothschild’s intention was to inspire other members of the community to act and join them in supporting the construction of a new events center by accelerating fundraising to a level that enables Harker to move from the conceptual design stage to actually bidding out the project.
The challenge was met with $7.5 million in direct capital gifts and $2.5 million of the $5 million Trustees & Fellows Matching Fund, which matches qualifying gifts made to annual giving. “With the Rothschild challenge met, we went from just under $5 million dollars to just over $25 million dollars in our overall campaign goal in just six months,” Nikoloff reported.
All donors who made gifts helping Harker to meet the challenge will be recognized as members of the Partners’ Circle and will have their names listed on a special plaque in the new events facility.