August 27, 2004
Alumni Fund-Raising Campaign

Contact: Susan Esau, Executive Director,
Lawrence Schools Foundation, 832-5000 x1941 or sesau@usd497.org

1989, 1973, and 1949 were very good years for Lawrence High School. Three alumni from those classes, respectively, contributed significantly to the success of the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s 2004 Alumni Campaign to help sustain excellence in education in the Lawrence Public Schools.

Srinija Srinivasan (LHS ’89), vice president and editor-in-chief of Yahoo! Inc., donated $10,000 to the Lawrence Schools Foundation with a challenge to fellow Lawrence alumni to match, or surpass, the gift before the start of the 2004-05 school year in August. John Davidson, III (LHS ’73), read about the Foundation’s Alumni Campaign in the online edition of the Lawrence Journal-World, and gave an additional $10,000 to the campaign. John P. Davidson III grew up on Colonial Court next door to Srinija Srinivasan, and is Managing Director at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Through a mailing to hundreds of mostly local alumni, the Foundation solicited funds to support its mission to enrich the education provided to all students by the Lawrence Public Schools. “The current education financing issue has created a critical situation for our district,” said Mike Maddox, President of the Lawrence Schools Foundation Board of Trustees. Maddox says that the Foundation must raise its level of support for schools as a result of the financial climate in public education.

Many alumni rose to the occasion. 1949 Liberty Memorial graduate, Bob Moore, made an unrestricted gift of $5,000, which also made up a significant portion of the total amount raised through the campaign. With many loyal Lawrence locals contributing, the Foundation raised a total of approximately $18,700 to match, and surpass, Srnija’s $10,000 challenge.

“It’s exciting to be involved with people who care and exhibit their generosity by giving back to their schools and to their community,” said Susan Esau, Executive Director of the Foundation. “The Lawrence Schools Foundation’s Board of Trustees thanks everyone of you who supported our efforts in raising funds for programs which directly affect our students in the Lawrence Public Schools.”

The Lawrence Schools Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and is sponsoring the upcoming Community Education Breakfast to be held on Friday, September 10, at 7:30 am at the Lawrence Holidome. Individuals tickets are $30 and reservations can be made by mailing check or money to the Foundation at 110 McDonald Dr., Lawrence, KS 66045.

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