2004/05 Annual Fund Sets New Record As of June 30, 2005, 105 gifts to the 2004/05 Annual Fund totaled US $70,022, a new record for ASSIST. In addition, we had several restricted annual fund donations totaling $6,419.
As a nonprofit organization with a small staff and worldwide ambitions, ASSIST depends on the generosity of those people who believe in our mission. To keep program fees affordable for most families, to support our students during their ASSIST year, and to maintain the excellence that students, families and schools associate with the name ASSIST, we rely on Annual Fund donations to balance our operating budget.
For the first time, ASSIST alumni were solicited for gifts, and a number responded by making secure, on-line donations over the Internet with their credit cards. To achieve our ambitious goals in the years ahead, ASSIST will need increasing support from those people who have been most positively affected by the program.
Goal Set for 2005/06 Annual Fund The Board of Directors of ASSIST has set a goal of $80,000 for the 2005/06 Annual Fund.
As we reconnect with alumni, and they learn of the energizing initiatives of ASSIST, we are finding that donations grow every year. Growing the Annual Fund allows ASSIST to maintain its tradition of excellence, and we invite you to join the growing ranks of alumni, host families, friends and foundations that believe in ASSIST and support our work with generous gifts.
Funding Needy Students ASSIST will conduct an open competition for scholarships in 15 countries during the fall of 2005 and winter of 2006. In most countries, families will pay a program fee so that their children - if selected - can become ASSIST scholars. However, there are many families that cannot afford the fee, and it is ASSIST's goal to find sponsorship funding for every student who earns an ASSIST scholarship, but whose family cannot afford a program fee.
Germany In Germany, the ASSIST Förderverein has worked tirelessly for years to fund the program fees of needy and deserving German students. The Förderverein has raised funds that allow students from families of limited means to accept their ASSIST scholarships by underwriting part of the expense, in particular for those awarded partial scholarships.
Eastern and Central Europe; Central Asia Originally sponsored by the Soros Foundation/Open Society Institute, the talented students from these regions are able to accept their ASSIST scholarships only with the support of generous donors. For a sponsorship of just $7,000, a donor can underwrite the exchange year of a student from one of these countries. This sponsorship enables a student to receive a scholarship from an ASSIST member school valued at up to $38,500 in 2005/06.
China and Vietnam ASSIST entered Vietnam in autumn 2004, and two Vietnamese students joined the Class of 2005/06, studying at Hotchkiss School (CT) and Overlake School (WA). In November 2005, an ASSIST team will interview in China for the first time in over 15 years.
While the economies of these two nations are emerging strongly, there are still a vast majority of families who cannot afford to pay the program fee. To keep the spirit of an open competition alive, ASSIST seeks sponsorships of $7,000 to fund each student and make the program accessible to all talented scholars.
Endowment Gift Received
In September 2005, Julia (Julie) and Parker Hall completed a three-year pledge to sponsor students from Eastern and Central Europe. In both 2003/04 and 2004/05, Julie and Parker sponsored ten students. Most recently, they made a significant gift to establish an endowed fund that will continue to support one student annually.
The transition from the Soros Foundation sponsorship to a new generation of donors has been a challenge for ASSIST, and we are grateful to those generous individuals who have stepped forward. The Halls' leadership in this effort has been transformative.
For 2005/06, we have sponsorship funding for 34 of the 39 students coming from Eastern and Central Europe, Central Asia and Vietnam. We continue to seek funding for the remaining students while already working closely with potential donors to fund needy students in the Class of 2006/07.
