As we head into the Thanksgiving season, we might take note of the thankers.  On Sunday November 13th, Dan Frank, parents, students, and members of the Board of Trustees gathered in the Kovler Family Library to participate in the first ever “Thank-A-Thon.” The volunteers aimed to make over 500 phone calls to show appreciation to the members of the community who have supported Parker with their time and money.

“Donations to Parker do not go into an impersonal black box,” Jenny Friedes, parent, trustee, and a Chair of the Parker Parent Annual Giving Program for 2016-17 said. “They are used to benefit the lives of the people in the community. It’s important to let our supporters know how much we appreciate their generosity.” The event, she said, was meant to fit into the spirit of the Thanksgiving season.

The “Thank-A-Thon” reached out to current parents, parents emeriti, alumni, grandparents, faculty, and staff. It was not a fundraising event, but purely a “thank you”.

“In terms of parents supporting Parker,” Renee Jackson, Associate Director of Advancement said, “that concept has been around since at least the 1930’s.” According to Connie Molzberger, Associate Director of Development, the idea of a thank-a-thon was decided last year.

“We thought it would be wonderful if we could find a special way to thank all of our incredible supporters,” Molzberger said. “The goal of the thank-a-thon is to thank as many Parker donors and volunteers as possible for their incredible contributions to our community.”

Jackson said, “The idea was to find a way to recognize and celebrate people who contribute to the school in all the ways that they contribute.”

The hope is that the Thank-A-Thon will be an annual event. In the past, Parker has held phone-a-thons asking for financial support for various initiatives such as Parker Parent Annual Giving. This is a shift in the approach to community outreach.

At this point in the year, there are so many families and alumni and faculty and staff who have an impact on Parker and making it the place that it is. Molzberger said, “We are so grateful and hope that those who receive our calls will have fun speaking with a volunteer.”

“Parker’s passionate community supports the school annually with individual contributions of time, talent, and treasure,” President of the Board of Trustees Brent Gledhill said. “We are thrilled to make the time to say ‘thank you’ with phone calls and handwritten notes over a Sunday afternoon. We are fortunate to have such a supportive and giving community.”