Lycée parents Nasry Joseph, Eva Chancel, Gilles Aublin and David Benichou have a combined total of 100 years as parents in the Lycée community, with nine children between them spanning CM1 to the Class of 2021. Each one is a co-chair for the Annual Fund at the Lycée. With just six weeks to go before the end of the school year, they are aiming to engage parents-guardians at all grades and giving levels in the Annual Fund.
What is the Annual Fund?
The annual operating budget for the Lycée is composed almost entirely of tuition and fees. That helps pay for the core operating budget of the school covering the costs to deliver our unique bilingual curriculum to students. But what about the other things we love about the Lycée? The Artist-in-Residence Program, amazing spaces like the Media Lab and Maker Space, professional development for the teachers, scholarships! Without the Annual Fund these things that make a Lycée education exceptional would simply not be possible.
What inspired you to make your first gift?
All four of us have French roots. The public sector in France takes care of so much, so when we arrived in the U.S. we weren’t that familiar with the idea of philanthropy. Even before enrolling our children at the Lycée, we saw in the places where we work and communities where we live that giving to nonprofit causes is a customary part of American life. There was this virtuous circle. You give to an organization, and you get closer to it. It becomes more meaningful to you. You feel more pride in it. In a community where people give, the community becomes stronger.
So it boils down to community for you?
All of us are in this together at the Lycée. A high proportion of our friends come from this school, and we see how the community comes together in hard times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents were bringing food to other parents when they were sick at home. When there’s a tragedy in the community, Lycée families come together to support one another and show sympathy. It is very heart touching when you think about it.
At the same time, there’s this wealth of diversity here–social, religious, economic, and cultural. You meet really interesting people, and you’re always surprised by the experiences they bring to each other. It creates a sense of openness in the world. No two families have the same story, and you’re not going to see this kind of community anywhere else among private schools.
It sounds like a decision of the heart.
There is certainly an emotional component to making a gift, but there are also important tangible reasons. None of us is interested in having our children attend a school where everyone’s the same. That’s not reality, and that’s not preparing students for life. Support for the Annual Fund is meaningful and tangible to every student, both in and out of the classroom.
This spring, the four of you are aiming to grow participation in the Annual Fund. Why?
Donations to the Annual Fund are strong right now, but the participation rate among our families is low. That means there is a strong base of giving from our community’s wealthiest donors, and of course, we are all grateful for that.
Keeping our community strong, for all the reasons we have been talking about, is so important to us. Whether you give $10, $100, $1,000 or more is not what matters. It’s simply that having a multitude of givers is a sign of our community’s cohesiveness, our sense of being in this together, and our trust in the school.
To quote Alexandre Dumas: “Tous pour un, un pour tous!” Our dream is that all Lycée families support the Annual Fund! And, for families who cannot give financially, simply get involved by volunteering your time or your energy, at Saturday’s Spring Fair for example.
You’ve created some fun activities to get families engaged in the Annual Fund.
We have! Giving reinforces our sense of community, and we have a couple of exciting incentives for everyone to join in the fun this year for our students!
Between now and May 27th, we are encouraging everyone to take part in the Annual Fund participation campaign. The Division with the highest parent participation will earn a dress-down day. The grade with the highest parent participation will earn a second dress down day!
You can also come and find us at Spring Fair, where we’ll be on the patio with the Lycée jazz band and hosting a pétanque tournament…
Nasry, Eva, Gilles, David–thanks so much to each of you for all you are doing for the school and our students.
About the Author :
Elisabeth King joined the Lycée team in November 2011 as the school’s first director of communications. A francophile at heart, Elisabeth spent her junior year of college in Paris, and held her first job at the French Trade Office here in New York. She brings to the Lycée over 15 years of experience in media and communications in non-profits, government, news and business. She was previously executive vice president and director of strategy at ABI, Inc., a boutique public relations agency, and she worked as associate editor on two books co-authored by Todd Brewster and the late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings.