My Brave journey began 15 years ago when our son Brady enrolled in kindergarten at Indian Hill Primary school. Brady (Class of 2018) is now a college sophomore, our son Davis is a senior at Indian Hill High School, and our youngest son Alex is in seventh grade. Over the last 15 years, my wife, Chris, and I have been very active in the Braves community. Chris has held a variety of leadership responsibilities within the Indian Hill PTO, currently serves on the Indian Hill Boosters Board, and coordinates a variety of activities for the Indian Hill soccer program.
I have served as a volunteer coach for a variety of sports through the Indian Hill Recreation Commission for 12 years, and served on the Indian Hill Foundation Board since 2014, where I am beginning my second term as Board President. Professionally, I have 30 years of experience in not-for-profit agency leadership, and for the last 9 years I have served as the President/CEO of the Bethesda Foundation, the philanthropic arm for Bethesda Hospitals, McCullough-Hyde Hospital in Oxford, Hospice of Cincinnati, and Fernside: a Center for Grieving Children.
To me, being a Brave is about community. The collaboration between students, faculty, parents, and alumni and the dedication to providing an enriching experience for our children is accurately reflected through the #IHPromise. As a parent with more than one child, you quickly realize they are all unique in regard to how they engage, learn, react, and are motivated. The commitment to meeting each student in a place that brings out their best is something we have certainly seen with our three very different boys in their experiences in Indian Hill schools.
I am excited to share the amazing work of the Indian Hill Foundation with our District families. The Indian Hill Foundation puts our community's philanthropy to work innovating, accelerating, and enriching what is happening in our classrooms and strengthening the connections between the District and the community. The Foundation achieves its purpose with the help of alumni, parents and the community.
Our reach is broad and impactful. A few examples of our most recent work include: Flex Furniture at Indian Hill Primary School to enhance the experience for our newest Braves - our investment supports research that some students benefit when they have seating that better meets their learning needs. The Digital Arts Technology Lab at Indian Hill High School – privately funded by Braves alumni to allow for a more robust computer science and digital arts curriculum available for students now and in the future. And finally, our support for the incredibly successful Home of the Braves campaign, with $4.25 million raised to transform our athletic facilities for our student athletes and community.
When you receive your invitation to provide philanthropic support to the Indian Hill Foundation this fall, I hope you will consider the tremendous impact we make and join us as a donor family. Go Braves!