"This is Us" - there is still a place for you!

today's decisions are tomorrow's memories!

Our "This Is Us" event on April 8 was a "family dinner table" event, and judging from the non-stop chatter, I think everyone had fun being together!  We spent some time sharing favorite Gateway memories, looking back at our short but packed history (starting with our first school year, 2009-2010, with only 45 high school students - and who can forget our portable bathroom trailers - !!), listening as each table's student host shared a little about his or her Gateway experience, enjoying a beautiful song by a group of elementary through high school vocal performers, and looking ahead as Richard Rickey discussed plans for Phase III building (see the link at bottom to view the latest drawings). All this between bites of Bush's Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and desserts.  Not a bad Saturday dinner with our Gateway family!  The video above will give you a quick feel for the event.

We wrapped it up with a little "family business" - and I'd like to invite those of you who were unable to attend to participate as well.  I'll keep it simple. Like every family, we have a budget and expenses.  Some are fixed expenses, like facilities (have to have a place to put these 1,200+ students!) and some are variable (how much we pay personnel, extracurriculars, etc).  Currently, we have a mix of permanent buildings (for which we have debt service, aka "the mortgage") and portables, which we lease (those are our "rent payments").  We want to build Phase III - the K-8 Learning Center and, if possible, the Main Gym - so that we can trade leasing for owning. As we all know, it's always better to own and build equity than rent and throw that money away every month!  Having a place to put our students is a fixed cost, and a necessary one.

We asked our families to put in writing their pledge of charitable giving over the next three years. This serves two purposes. One, having written pledges shows "proof of income" so that we can get the "mortgage" we need to build out the campus learning space.  Second, seeing the projected income itself allows us to budget for the variable expenses.  We want to pay teachers and staff a competitive salary. We want to offer the highest quality programs and extracurriculars possible.  Your tax-deductible giving allows us to do these things.  We will always strive for the most efficient and effective stewardship of our finances, with the goal of always improving the already outstanding Gateway experience for both our students and our staff.  

If you turned in a written pledge on April 8, THANK YOU (and you should have received your note in the mail!).  If you were unable to attend, or needed time to review your own family's budget, I'd like to ask if you would be willing to write it down for us by Monday, April 24.  

We've made it easy! Click here to access an online pledge form, which will take just a minute or two of your time to fill out.  As always, I'm happy to answer any and all questions by email, phone or text (512.731.6308). 

THANK YOU for all the giving decisions you are making today.  For our K-12 students, your decisions today are their memories in the years to come. You are leaving a legacy.

Best,

Ashley Kjos
Director of Development

PS One new thing we are offering is a monthly reminder to those who have pledged.  This is a simple email that might be helpful to those who prefer to give manually rather than recurring on a credit card, etc. The online pledge form has this option as a check box. If you turned in a paper pledge form, and would like that reminder, please just email me and let me know. Thanks!