Starting a Memorial Fund

 

Starting a Memorial Fund

 

We want to explain the steps your classmates took to set up the Amphitheater High School Class of 1966 Memorial Fund. We hope to make our first awards this year.

 

    Susan Scott reached out to all of you once the suggestion of a Memorial Fund was made. We wanted to include all of you in the decision and your support and enthusiasm for the fund was inspiring and heartwarming to everyone.

 

    Dave Nix conferred with Dave Loutzenheizer to understand his thoughts about the fund and what he felt would have been important to Liz as a way to determine how to honor Elizabeth Andersen.

 

    Erica Richter reached out to Leah Noreng, Executive Director of the AHS Foundation to discuss the possibility of setting up a fund like this. We are the first high school class to ask for help with this process, but she is very excited about our fund and the opportunity to invite other AHS classes to participate in setting up funds of their own.

 

    Dave Nix, Erica Richter and Leah Noreng met with a Senior Gift officer from the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. Mary Louise Luna helped us determine the best way to set up our fund. Our goal was to create an Endowed fund which offered a solid investment return at the lowest administrative expense.

 

    Leah Noreng agreed to oversee and administer our fund grants with no additional fees. As a parent of three children in the school district, she also meets regularly with the administration and understands the schools needs from a student and parent perspective. All valuable tools when we decide what our grant should support. Leah has an Advisory Board made up of alumni, administrators and current parents to support her efforts and decision-making. She confirmed they would be willing to help oversee our fund as well.

 

    AJ Malis and Glenda Arrfa have agreed to work with the teachers and students to identify those high school candidates who should receive Elizabeth Andersen Award for Contribution to Community and the Class 1966 Memorial Fund grant each year.

 

*The AHS Foundation

We are very lucky to have Leah Noreng, AHS Foundation Executive Director as our voice with the administration and students at AHS and the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. Our Memorial Fund is in good hands! For over 30 years, the Amphi Foundation’s mission has been to promote academic excellence through the expansion of resources to benefit the education, development and well-being of the students of the Amphitheater Public School District.

The Foundation’s programs are grounded in 3 focus areas:

          1) Student Preparedness (which includes the program that Liz became so passionate about in recent years, the Clothing Bank)

          2) Innovative Learning Opportunities for Students and Educator Support

          3) Opportunities for Students to become College, Career and Community Ready. Over the past five years, the Amphi Foundation has invested over $1,000,000 directly into classrooms and for the benefit of all Amphi students thanks to continued and generous support from our community