Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign Launches

The Fort Worth Country Day Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign kicked off its public phase on Friday night, October 6, with a fun celebration and a big reveal: $31,250,000 has been raised so far. More than 200 FWCD community members celebrated the momentous occasion in Falcon Alley with live music from Falcon 6-0, including energizing vocals from Joe Breedlove ’78 saxophone artistry from Upper School French Teacher Andréanne Annis, and versatile guitar playing from longtime FWCD Substitute Teacher and Past Parent Dave Lincoln. As the crowd danced to such tunes as Celebration and Ride Sally Ride, kids lined up for face-painting, balloon art, and inflatable and yard games, and parents caught up with one another in the coolest weather so far this football season while enjoying food from The Egg Stand food truck and ice cream sandwiches from Pokey-O’s. 

Brian Crumley ’92, Board of Trustees President, started the program by welcoming the crowd. “This is a historic time for Country Day,” he said. “We are celebrating our 60th year. We are about to begin construction on a new Lower School a year after we completed these beautiful fields,” Crumley said, in reference to the new state-of-the-art field hockey field, the turfed Howard Family Field in Rosacker Stadium, and the cutting-edge resurfaced Barrett Havran Track. “And we are working to refresh the strategic plan to provide a compass for the School for the next several years.” 

Crumley moved into a series of important thank you’s to the Forward Together Comprehensive Champaign Steering Committee: He thanked William Butler ’96, Gloria Moncrief Holmsten ’00, Heather and Ryan Senter, Randy Eisenman ’93, Rob Semple ’95, Gantt Bumstead, Stephen Luskey ’01, Helen and Michael Todora, and Bryan King. 

“Our deepest appreciation goes to our donors,” Crumley continued. “Your support has really made a lasting impact on this school, and your generosity allows us to stand here today.  We are grateful for the inspiration you are going to provide as we move forward.”

Butler, Campaign Co-Chair, excitedly announced the public phase of the campaign. “This is already the largest campaign in the School’s history, and we aren’t done yet,” he said. “The School’s 2018 strategic plan and facilities master plan provided the road map to get us here, to this point.”

Those plans helped to determine the campaign priorities: the athletic fields completed last year, an increased endowment, a new Lower School and The FWCD Fund. 

“As we start our next 60 years, the successful completion of this campaign will allow us to further develop our people and programs and enhance and improve our teaching spaces, specifically with our Lower School,” Butler said. To date, 100 parents, many of whom are alumni, and 70 faculty and staff members have given to the campaign. 

Head of School Eric Lombardi echoed Crumley’s and Butler’s sentiments. “Forward Together is a source of incredible excitement, and we are excited for even more people to get involved,” he said. 

Temporary Village buildings have been arriving and will look more and more like classrooms in the coming months. “Those Temporary Village buildings are the visible part of the campaign. The not-so-visible parts include raising money for the endowment; $8 million is our goal, and continuing to raise money for The FWCD Fund,” Lombardi said. “The Fund is important each year … it is a difference-maker, a margin-maker for us.”

The Senters, Forward Together Constituency Co-Chairs, Public Phase, came to the stage and excitedly announced where the School stands at this pivotal time. “This day has been four years in the making," Heather said. “We have reached our 80% fundraising goal. We encourage y’all to join us. We have been part of this community for 15 years, and we knew from the start that we were in the right place. We are here to help us get to that finish line.” 

Ryan added the importance of stewardship. “Something unique is happening at Fort Worth Country Day right now. We are here because of others, and now we have the opportunity to build something better than we received,” he said. “We have the opportunity to dig deeper and continue that.”

It was the Senter’s honor to bring up nine students to share the total amount raised thus far in the Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign. In a fun countdown, Walker Luskey '30, Lyle Luskey (former Falcon), Monty Holmsten ’30, Kit Holmsten’32, Gunni Holmsten ’34, Sarah Mitchell McMillan ’29, William McMillan ’34, Mary Blake McMillan (future Falcon) and Bradleigh Bowman ’29 revealed the number from right to left, $31,250,000, and family members shot off confetti cannons.

The excitement continued as those nine students then led Lower School students into Rosacker Stadium to line the sidewalk and watch four skydivers from the All Veteran Group, piloted by William Runyon ’80, land on Howard Family Field and then cheer on the varsity football team as they entered Howard Family Field. The players and coaches walked through the Lower School tunnel, high-fiving and cheering, hyped up for the game. 

Jack Carvalho ’17 served as a timeout emcee, firing up the crowd with campaign trivia and banter, interviewing various students, faculty and staff about the temporary village and the new Lower School Building. Coleman Anderson ’33, Third Grade Teacher Katy Thompson Hobbs ’97, Head of Lower School Trey Blair, Lower School Librarian Tammy Wolford, Assistant Head of Lower School Kelly Lanier Tierce ’93, Fourth Grade Teacher Sara McCullough, and Fourth Grade Teacher, Varsity Cheer Coach Courtney Corbeille Krauss ’06 and William Butler '96 all spoke with Carvalho about different aspects of the Lower School. They touched on their favorite rooms, the Temporary Village, the Lower School Library, beloved traditions and excitement for the future. 

The evening could be summarized in words that Crumley shared earlier. He spoke of the common theme – the differentiator – that of Fort Worth Country Day, and that word is community. “The Forward Together campaign shows the strength in what you can accomplish when you work together,” Crumley noted. “In the spirit of Margaret Mead, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world.’” 

To learn more about the Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign, visit fwcd.org/campaign. If you have questions or need assistance making a gift, contact Sandra Tuomey, Director of Advancement, at sandra.tuomey@fwcd.com.