Busy, Productive Week of Fundraising Activities for Principal

Last Tuesday, Principal David Gray chaired the meeting of the Donations and Communications (D&C) Committee attended by the Bursar, Raymond Feghali, and by the Marketing Manager, Richard Bampfylde. They looked at fundraising and Mr Gray was pleased to note that 125,000 US Dollars had been raised from the BHS Gives 2021 Appeal between the beginning of November and the end of December. In addition the total funds raised by parents and others for teachers & support staff now amounts to around 70,000 US Dollars and it is likely that this will enable the school to make three payments of a hundred US Dollars to each member of staff rather than just two as had been forecast.  He will provide more details on this soon to all staff, and this extra payment would come as welcome relief during such challenging times in Lebanon. 

Principal Gray says the development of fundraising is very pleasing and funds raised at the moment are going to financial aid for students (bursaries), support for teachers and other staff, and to projects such as the library refurbishment which has been mentioned previously, through a generous legacy gift from a UK Quaker supporter of the school and its community. 

Following the D&C Committee meeting, he made a video clip for Leighton Park school, a Quaker school, in Reading in the South of England, which they will then use to raise funds for BHS. 

That same day the Principal had a visit from a very generous donor who has given 5000 ‘fresh’ US Dollars for the teachers & support staff fund which was greatly welcomed.  Principal Gray is indebted to all of those kind people from wherever in the world and from whatever background, who generously donate to the needs of the school.

In the evening he also met online with Georgette Hamaty, US fundraiser providing great expertise and efforts to the school’s American fundraising strategy, Tony Manasseh, Trustee of QuIET who is also currently based in the States and working extremely hard to raise awareness and generate support, and Richard Bampfylde on TEAMS to further discuss how to go about fundraising there and at what point the Principal’s visit should be made. This may now be delayed from April until the Autumn (or Fall as they say over there!) which is felt to be a more propitious time for fundraising in the US.

Then, last Thursday he had an evening meeting online with John Crosfield, another of our Quaker Trustees, and Anton Maree, the Head of Ackworth School, a Quaker school in Yorkshire in the north of England, to discuss the plight of Brummana and to recommend undertaking sponsorship from which the school would benefit. John has been generous in giving of his time to set up meetings with the Heads of various Quaker Schools in the UK and Ireland so that Principal Gray might be able to talk to them and encourage the developing links with these schools. At the very least it creates greater awareness in the UK for students of the plight and difficulties for students in Lebanon trying to lead a normal school existence.