SHARE: Your Dreams for Education
PCS's annual fundraiser, SHARE: Your Dreams for Education was held on Sunday, August 21st from 5-8pm at Hallockville Museum Farm. The event honored Patricia Eckardt & Jane Smith. Read on for remarks given by Ms. Eckardt and Kathryn Casey Quigley, co-director and co-founder of PCS.
Kathryn Casey Quigley:
Thank you Trish and Barbara for speaking to our shared dreams for education, for working hard to change education and inspiring us to keep pursuing our dreams for education at PCS.
Sir Ken Robinson is a writer and speaker who travels the world sharing his message of the need to revolutionize education. Not reform. Revolutionize. He has spoken to an issue that is at the core of many of the dilemmas we face in education: we haven’t agreed on why we educate. What is the purpose? This is a question we ask on a regular basis at PCS, on both small and large issues. Why? So it was important to answer the big question of why do we educate children? Why did we found a school in the first place?
We believe education can and should create a better world. That is our vision. That is our dream at PCS for education. So, ok, well, what do we mean by “better.”
Here’s what we mean:
A more peaceful world:
Filled with people who have peace and mindfulness within themselves.
Filled with people solving our problems with peaceful approaches rather through physical or verbal violence
A more reflective world:
With people who have built skills in their various professions who use those skills with humility
With people who truly listen when others are angry,
with people who but who dig deep to seek answers
A more resilient world:
When life’s struggles, disappointments and failures come, as they inevitably do, that people find a well of strength and dignity to propel them forward anyway, to allow them to be stronger, more thoughtful and more understanding because of those struggles, not in spite of them
A more compassionate worl
world where, when we see people suffering, we reach out with love
A world where people speak with love, seek love and send love
This is NOT some sentimental dream. This is real. This is necessary. If we look around at the events unfolding in our world today. We know, this is what we need. This is the human striving for a better world. And education IS a solution to make it better
And that “better” is our mission at PCS: to foster reflective, resilient, compassionate learners in a safe, trusting environment.
At PCS we have children who are mathematicians, readers, writers, scientists, historians, musicians, athletes, and artists: and we will and do teach them skills in all those areas, but above all, as they pursue their careers, and move forward in their lives: ALL of them will be thinkers, creators, givers: humans in the deepest and best and most beautiful and profound way we understand the word: HUMANITY.
We are 5 years in. We started with no money, 9 students, 1 teacher. Now, we have a budget of over $500,000, 51 incredible students, 12 brilliant teachers and staff, 9 dynamic board members and a tremendous community of friends and supporters. We have grown steadily every year. Our programming has strengthened and grown every year. We are doing this right and doing it well, and it is because of all of you. Because this is a COMMUNITY school and because you continue to care and support this little school that could in so many ways.
This is our biggest & best year yet. And it needs to be our best fundraising year as well. As we have scaled up and taken everything about this school to the next level, become stronger, smarter, it’s time to do the same with our fundraising.
Asking for money is never something that we have been comfortable with. It’s hard to do. But it’s not hard to answer the WHY: the argument for why supporting this school matters and how much it matters.
And you are all here tonight because you realize that this school is a priority. And we need you to help us take the school to the next level.
A few kind volunteers are going to pass out a card to all of you, asking you to give. To give now, today, right here. Even if and even though you already have. We are so grateful you are here, we are so grateful you support this school. We need you. We need you to make these dreams come true.
Help us send more children with financial need to PCS. Help us expand our technology offerings at the school. Help us bring more local experts to the school and bring the children to local places: to engage them and inspire them within this very community. Help us get a big sign in front of the school, so no one passing 25 can miss us. Help us be here for good- to revolutionize education, to make this world better, to make it what we know it can and must be.