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Support MFS

The $6,865,000 Campaign for Arts, Athletics and Endowment was the largest fund-raising effort in the history of Moorestown Friends School. The campaign ended on June 30, 2003. Thanks to the generous support of hundreds of alumni and parents, and numerous friends, corporations, foundations, parents of alumni, faculty and staff, the school community has been able to dramatically change the landscape of MFS for today’s students and generations of students to come.

The Early Phases of the Campaign
The campaign’s nucleus phase began in the fall of 1998, coinciding with the planning for the spring 1999 Parent Council Auction The Field House of Dreams. The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the School Committee, clerked by Rex McWilliams, started more than two years of work on configurations and plans to significantly improve the school’s arts and athletic facilities. In coordination with the work of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, the Development Committee, clerked by Kenneth H. Zekavat ’80, constructed the framework for the campaign. The School Committee approved the campaign priorities and goals at meetings in the spring and fall of 2000. The Campaign Cabinet of alumni and parent volunteers was assembled in the fall of 2000. With the public announcement of the campaign in January 2001, Tom Zemaitis, Clerk of the School Committee reported, “The priorities identified in the Strategic Plan adopted by the School Committee in 1999 include raising faculty compensation, improving and expanding our facilities, and increasing our endowment. This Capital Campaign is central to achieving these goals. This will, in turn, strengthen MFS and allow us better to serve our students and their families.”

Campaign Components
The total campaign included two goals, one of $5,865,000 for capital projects and a second $1,000,000 goal for endowment. The major capital improvements included in the campaign were as follows:

• A new athletic facility, known as the Field House, with a full-size gym, practice gym, locker rooms, offices, classroom and commons area.
• Five new tennis courts.
• A new fitness and weight training center and athletic trainer’s office.
• A renovation of the art studio, the art history room, wood shop and photography lab to create an Arts Center.
• The installation of an air conditioning system and new sound system in the auditorium.
• A new theater preparations space with prop and costume storage rooms and a sewing room to support school performances.
• A new maintenance and athletic storage facility.
• A new circulation desk for the school library.

Building the endowment is crucial to preserving the long-term financial stability of the school. While growing, the school’s endowment is smaller than those of other institutions with a rich heritage similar to that of MFS. Income from endowment provides unrestricted support for the school, scholarships, professional development and resources to recruit and retain talented teachers. Through outright, planned and estate gift commitments to endowment, the campaign provided additional, permanent income to support financial aid, faculty compensation and professional development. A total of 18 new endowed funds were established during the campaign and 10 existing endowment funds received additional commitments.

Super News – January 28, 2001
MFS publicly launched the campaign with the announcement of the largest gift commitment in the school’s history. Billed as “SUPER news that will BOWL you over,” the Super Bowl Sunday announcement was greeted with cheers and excitement at a reception in the Dining Hall/Commons. Mel and Diane Baiada, parents of two students at MFS, shared the news that they had agreed to commit up to $3 million to match gifts to the arts and athletics projects of the campaign. “In making this leadership contribution, we hope to significantly improve the arts and athletic facilities at MFS for the benefit of ALL of the students and faculty,” the Baiadas said.

Groundbreaking – May 11, 2001
The MFS community gathered with the Alumni Board of Visitors and Campaign Cabinet to break ground for the Field House and renovated Arts Center. The ceremony took place between the tennis courts and Upper School Auditorium. An Upper School student choir sang the school song, “All Hail to the Red and Blue.” In speaking to the students, faculty and guests, Headmaster Alan R. Craig declared, “The Field House and improved Arts Center will have a profound impact on our students and faculty for generations to come. These facilities will significantly enhance the school’s art and athletic programs, which are important components in educating the whole child at MFS. Many individuals, including alumni, parents, grandparents and friends, have helped to bring us to this historic day. I am grateful to them. I hope our students will remember not only these new facilities long after their years at MFS, but the spirit and commitment of the individuals who have supported and who will support this exciting project.”

Challenge Met – Summer 2001
Thanks to the generous support of alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations, the $3 million Campaign Challenge Match was met. The success of the spring 2001 Parent Council fund-raiser Lights! Camera! Auction! to support the auditorium improvements also was key to reaching the Challenge Match. Kenneth H. Zekavat noted the following in the Campaign Update section of the 2001-2002 Annual Report, “The response of the MFS community to this campaign has been strong. In fact, with gifts and commitment, we have exceeded the original capital projects goal of $5,365,000 by $300,000!”

Ribbon Cutting for the Field House and Arts Center – September 8, 2002
More than 700 parents, alumni, students and friends attended the historic ribbon cutting to open the new Field House and the renovated Arts Center. Speakers at the ribbon cutting included Thomas Zemaitis; Alan R. Craig; Mel and Dianne Baiada and Larry Van Meter, MFS Class of 1968 and Head of School. The building was open for tours, with members of the arts and athletic departments serving as guides. The evening culminated with games on the MFS athletic fields and a picnic for school families and alumni hosted by the School Committee and Parent Council.

Campaign Closes – June 30, 2003
Thanks to the generosity of the Moorestown Friends School Community, commitments to the campaign have reached and surpassed the $6,865,000 goal. The Campaign for Arts, Athletics and Endowment officially closed with the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2003. Some campaign commitments will be paid in the next two years. A list of contributors to the capital projects portion of the campaign and list of endowed funds that were established or received additional support during the campaign are included in the 2002-2003 Annual Report of Donors. A framed list of campaign donors also hangs in the lobby of the Field House.

In the Winter/Spring 2003 issue of Among Friends, Larry Van Meter wrote the following, “The Field House is a stunning manifestation of how far we have come. I invite you to learn more about this wonderful building and visit sometime soon for a grand tour. You will be equally impressed by the transformation of the adjacent wood shop and art studios in what was once the dreary basement. These spaces are now bright, fresh, and very functional. You will be proud of Moorestown Friends.”

In his concluding remarks at the Ribbon Cutting, School Committee member and Campaign Cabinet member Mel Baiada stated the following, “These new facilities will shape our children and generations of children to come … Together, we have left an indelible mark on the history of Moorestown Friends School.”

Many thanks, on behalf of the entire school community, to everyone who took part in making the Field House of Dreams a reality!