Opportunities for Giving

 

GIVING TUESDAY Gift to the Fund for Westfield Friends School

 

Full details of this challenge are described below:

 

To meet the conditions of the Matching Grant Challenge, gifts to the William Probsting Scholarship Fund must be a new donation, made after July 1, 2022.  For families who give regularly to Westfield, gifts for this Fund must be in addition to your usual contributions*. Gifts can be a one-time donation to the William Probsting Scholarship Fund, or pledged and fulfilled over time, paid by June 30, 2024. 

Mail or scan the form below and email to [email protected] to pay with a check
OR
CLICK HERE to make your contribution online.

Tier One is a dollar-for-dollar match challenge:

• In the first part of the challenge each new gift of $5,000, will be matched dollar for dollar. The matching begins at five gifts and may match up to ten. 
• Gifts can be made in one payment, or paid in installments until June 30, 2024.
• Siblings and families may pledge together, combining smaller amounts to collectively give $5,000.
• We already have seven of our $5,000 gifts to the Fund

• • With 10 gifts of $5,000 and the matching gifts, the Fund will grow by $100,000

We realize that the first part of the challenge may be more than a stretch for many families. Everyone gets the opportunity to make their gifts to the Fund grow through Tier Two. Now that we have five gifts in the Tier One challenge, Tier Two has begun and matches all gifts with two dollars for every dollar donated to the Fund. 

Tier Two is a two-for-one dollar match challenge:

• Every gift made to the Fund now of any amount up to $4,999 will be matched two for one up to a total matching gift of $100,000.

• • If we can rise to this challenge and realize the full $100,000 matching gift potential, the William Probsting Scholarship Fund will grow by $150,000

William C. Probsting passed away Monday, September 20th, 2021. To his many students and their parents, he served as principal of Westfield Friends School from 1974-2013. He and his family were longtime residents of Riverton, NJ. His grandmother and great aunt both attended Westfield Friends in the 19th century. His family helped him keep the school in operation after a devastating fire in 1977.

Westfield alums remember cutting Christmas trees with Mr. Probsting. They attribute to him their love of art. As he shared his passion for history and current events, students came to understand the world beyond their South Jersey home. He led the school through a period of growth and strength where school lore holds that families would call him to ask to reserve a spot in the PreK for their newborn child. He helped the faculty create programs that remain beloved within the program today, including the Buddies Program, Monday Gathering, Looking at Art, Quaker Fridays, and Meeting for Singing. He foresaw the importance of hands-on science for Middle School students and the readiness of Kindergarten students for formal instruction in reading and writing. He believed every student should grow in comfort with public speaking through regular performances in plays and opportunities for giving speeches.

Most importantly, Mr. Probsting lived his Quaker belief that every person has that of God within them -- that every person is an expression of the Divine. Alums know that he sought to cultivate their gifts. Further, he knew within himself that his role was to nurture that of God from within himself in service to the Westfield Friends community. Everyone always felt loved, seen, and known by him. Generous in spirit, Mr. Probsting always put others first. He epitomized the servant leader.

Many employers offer a matching gift program as an HR benefit, to their employees, employees' spouses, and retired employees. If your company has a matching gift program, it could double or even triple your gift! Contact your company's Human Resources officer to determine whether or not they participate in a matching gift program or simply check here first:

 

Speak to your financial professional for more information or to learn more about your options, please contact Mimi Blackwell, Director of Philanthropic Services at Friends Fiduciary. (tel: 267-886-1982 | email: [email protected])