Fenwick2029 | Fenwick High School

Excellence, Leadership, Tradition

The Centennial Capital Campaign for Fenwick High School

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Fenwick Master Facilities Plan

See the Centennial Capital Campaign Video Here!

Excellence, Leadership, Tradition -

The Centennial Campaign for Fenwick High School

President’s Invitation

Centennial Campaign - Cause for Celebration

Now in our 91st school year and looking ahead to our centennial celebration in 2028-29, Fenwick High School is thrilled that construction of the Michael R. Quinlan ’62 Parking Center is underway! (To view construction activity: constructioncam (live link to: https://public.earthcam.net/tJ90CoLmq7TzrY396Yd88IYhWnSEuJrLhArvAfUnKbM!/fenwick_parking_garage/camera_1/view_1 ))

By the start of the 2020-21 school year a +-325 spot parking garage will occupy the space created by the demolition of the apartment buildings on Scoville directly adjacent to the fieldhouse. This is a game-changer for Fenwick. From an admissions standpoint, no more parent concerns about easily-accessible, safe and secure parking, and no parking tickets to worry about! Coupled with the recent air-conditioning of the auditorium, Fenwick will soon be able to host community-wide events. We can’t wait to host the 2020 Golden Friars mass and luncheon (June date tbd) with no worries about on-site parking!

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Traffic/Parking Alert: In addition to Fenwick’s construction activity this year, the Village of Oak Park has reduced Madison St. from four lanes to two. Parking and traffic around Fenwick this school year are going to be even more difficult than usual. Please keep this in mind when planning a trip to school.

Facilities Master Plan

Phase One:

With the completion of the Michael R. Quinlan ’62 Parking Center, Phase One of Excellence, Leadership, Tradition – The Centennial Campaign for Fenwick High School will also be complete. However, the Quinlan Parking Center, it is not yet fully funded.

Since inception, The Centennial Campaign has raised $18 million in cash gifts and pledges – exclusive of any planned gifts (bequests, trust, life insurance, etc.) earmarked for endowment. Between renovation and construction costs of earlier projects in Phase One, site preparation costs for the parking garage and other Campaign expenses, $5 million has been spent. An additional $2 million has been restricted to current financial assistance or endowment, and $3 million has been restricted to Phase Two of the Centennial Campaign.

That leaves $8 million available for construction of the Quinlan Parking Center. With garage construction costs of $13.5 million, Fenwick still needs to raise $5.5 million to fully fund the parking center:

Centennial Campaign Dollars Committed to Date $18 million

Spent on Mazzone Chapel and Fenwick Field ($2 million)

Parking Center Site Preparation/Campaign Expenses ($3 million)

Earmarked for Endowment/Tuition Assistance ($2 million)

Restricted to Phase Two ($3 million)

Cost of Quinlan Parking Center $13.5 million

Needed to Complete Phase One $5.5 million

Completion of the parking center is critical because it takes the “parking question” out of the enrollment decision and enables Fenwick to continue to attract families from a wide area of Chicagoland.

Additionally, given the practicalities of construction on Fenwick’s footprint – while continuing to operate an excellent college preparatory high school with a full range of programs – the parking center must be completed before the other phases of The Centennial Campaign commence, as Fenwick’s current parking lot (photo below) will become a construction staging area for months at a time.

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As Fenwick raises the necessary funds and the construction calendar permits, phases two and three of the master facilities plan will be completed through The Centennial Campaign in the years after 2020 and before our centennial celebration in 2028-29. These phases address many student life needs identified in the original strategic planning process and are supported by the current strategic plan.

Phase Two — Centennial Addition (view renderings) a four-story, multi-purpose building

21st century classroom space and meeting areas.
New music, choir and art space.
New indoor athletic practice and training fieldhouse.
New ground-level dining room, kitchen, student union and landmark entrance.

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Phase 3 — Interior Renovation and Exterior Finishing (view renderings)

Current cafeteria becomes a 250-person auditorium.
Current kitchen becomes athletic training/fitness area.
Creation of a campus-like feel with a quad, dramatic archway onto campus and landscaping, all in keeping with the collegiate Gothic style of architecture that elevates our students’ expectations.

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ENDOWMENT GROWTH/TUITION ASSISTANCE

Alongside the improvements in the master facilities plan, Excellence, Leadership, Tradition – The Centennial Campaign for Fenwick High School also seeks to increase commitments and realized gifts to the endowment and current tuition assistance by $50 million by 2028-2029. This will provide on-going tuition assistance and faculty professional development funds for generations to come.

Current tuition assistance is provided by several individual and class “named” expendable scholarship funds. Current gifts to the endowment, including several class scholarship efforts and individual “named” funds provide tuition assistance and faculty professional development funds in perpetuity.

We also expect planned giving – bequests, charitable trusts, life insurance, retirement assets, and the like – to play an increasingly important role in Fenwick’s ability to reach its endowment goals. We have increased our educational initiatives about planned giving via newsletters and our website, and we continue to identify advisors within the Fenwick community who can provide assistance with sophisticated, tax-advantaged, even income-producing gifts that can benefit you and/or your family, while also providing support to Fenwick.

Documented planned gift intentions to Fenwick are recognized by the benefactor’s inclusion in the Bernacki Society. Over the past three or so years over 20 new benefactors have joined the Bernacki Society. We expect to continue to see excellent growth in the Bernacki Society during The Centennial Campaign and beyond. For more information about the benefits of planned giving and/or the Bernacki Society, please contact Jean Johnson, Senior Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving: jjohnson@fenwickfriars.com, 708-948-0308.

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This is a momentous time for Fenwick. With your continued generosity and faith in Fenwick, Excellence, Leadership, Tradition – the Centennial Campaign for Fenwick High School will be a tremendous success and will ensure that future generations of Friars can enjoy the same academic rigor rooted in faith that the Dominicans have taught at Fenwick since 1929. Thank you!

For more information or any questions about The Centennial Campaign, please contact Chris Ritten, V.P. of Institutional Advancement: critten@fenwickfriars.com, 708-948-0350.

Make a Pledge to the Centennial Campaign

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Centennial Campaign - Cause for Celebration!

Phase One of the facilities master plan is complete!

Originally envisioned as a $15 million campaign when launched, to date the Centennial Campaign has raised over $25 million in cash gifts, signed pledges and planned gifts: $16.2 million in cash and pledges toward facilities improvements, $2.1 million in cash and pledges toward endowment and current tuition assistance and over $7 million in documented future gifts (bequests, life insurance, retirement plans, etc.).

With the completion in summer 2020 of the 333 space Michael R. Quinlan ’62 Parking Center (below), phase one of the facilities master plan is now complete!

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Michael R. Quinlan ’62 Parking Center

View a Time-Lapse Construction Video

With the completion of phase one, and with the world in a dramatically different place in 2020 than in 2019, there will be a break in construction activity for some time before proceeding to phases two and three of the facilities master plan.

Immediate Priority - Endowment/Tuition Assistance

Endowment growth and current tuition assistance are part of the Centennial Campaign, and there has been success to date raising these funds. However, with the economic and employment ravages brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, providing current and future tuition assistance to our students and families is the priority of the Centennial Campaign in the near term.

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Over the ’20-’21 and ’21–’22 school years, the primary goal of the Centennial Campaign is to secure $10 million in current tuition assistance and endowment commitments (cash, pledges and planned gift commitments). Fenwick aims to provide our students and families the financial support they need to come to Fenwick, to stay at Fenwick, to provide as much opportunity for the students of today who will be the leaders of tomorrow. We do not want financial uncertainty to stand in the way of anyone receiving a Fenwick education.

This growth will come primarily by way of establishing or adding to “named” scholarship funds. Fenwick currently has nearly 15 “named” expendable scholarship funds that provide current tuition assistance and nearly 30 “named” endowed scholarship funds that provide tuition assistance in perpetuity.

In addition to many individuals and families, several classes have established “named” scholarship funds:

Expendable
Class of ’52
George E. Tapling Class of ’73

Endowed
Class of ’59 Roger Finnell
Class of ’60
Class of ’62
’68 Class of Champions
Class of ’74

Over time, it would be ideal if every Fenwick alumni class established an expendable scholarship fund ($50,000 commitment) or an endowed scholarship fund ($100,000 commitment) to pay-it-forward to ensure that future students can access the transformative education and experience that they did.

Planned Giving - Giving from Assets, not Income

The vast majority of wealth for most people is in their asset base - homes, retirement accounts, non-retirement securities portfolios, life insurance, etc. - as opposed to their income stream. Giving from one’s non-cash asset base generally has much greater tax advantages than donating cash. The simplest way to donate from your asset base is through a bequest in your will or trust. Gifting long-term appreciated stock is a great, tax-efficient way to give today. There are even ways to create an income stream for life, receive a tax break today, and make a major gift to Fenwick.

Bequests, charitable trusts, life insurance, retirement assets, and the like – can play an enormous role in establishing or growing scholarship funds. If all classes established funds, might members of the class of x, y or z consider a gift to their class scholarship in their estate plans? For many benefactors it is easier to leave $10,000 or $25,000 or $100,000 in a bequest gift than to make an outright gift. Those gifts can significantly boost the principal amount of scholarship funds over time.

Documented planned gift intentions to Fenwick are recognized by the benefactor’s inclusion in the Bernacki Society. Over the past four years nearly 25 new benefactors have joined the Bernacki Society. We expect to continue to see excellent growth in the Bernacki Society during The Centennial Campaign and beyond. For more information about the benefits of planned giving and/or the Bernacki Society, please contact Jen Iarrobino, Major and Planned Gifts Officer: jiarrobino@fenwickfriars.com, 708-948-0311.

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This is a momentous time for Fenwick. With your continued generosity and faith in Fenwick, Excellence, Leadership, Tradition – the Centennial Campaign for Fenwick High School will be successful and will ensure that future generations of Friars can enjoy the same academic rigor rooted in faith that the Dominicans have taught at Fenwick since 1929. Thank you!