FOR THE BOYS, FOR OUR FUTURE Campaign update
The For the boys, For our future campaign is now in its 30th month. We need to thank all our wonderful donors who, so far, have contributed 30% of the target of $7.5 million. However, we still have a considerable way to go before the Board is in a position to declare that the project can go ahead.
To date we have engaged Old Boys, past parents and current parents in private meetings and at functions and dinners in Christchurch and further afield throughout NZ, Australia and the UK. The response to the Executive Principal’s message has been overwhelmingly positive, but we need more gifts and more names on our donors’ list to achieve this dream. Christ’s College aims to be the school of choice, where boys receive the best possible education and opportunities. This requires access to quality teachers, innovative programmes and leading facilities. While our teachers and programmes are among the best, the same cannot be said for all our facilities. Yes, our heritage buildings are stunning, as are the post-earthquake rebuilds on campus. But there are areas in which we are starting to lag behind other schools who do boast superior facilities. To future-proof Christ’s College’s standing as one of New Zealand’s and the world’s premier schools, and ensure the same equity of opportunity for coming generations, we have a bold but achievable vision of building three new centres of excellence - for science, music and performance, and sports, health and wellbeing. The first project is the Sporting Excellence, Health & Wellbeing Centre, for which we are now determinedly fundraising. To date we have raised just over $2.5 million towards the build threshold, but a further $5 million must urgently be raised to meet the goal of breaking ground with half the estimated
Foundation, such as: – Addressing the extraordinary $3million per annum costs associated with managing and maintaining our unique and special heritage buildings – Paying for insurance, which has risen almost 500% post-earthquakes, from $300,000 to $1.4 million a year. The burden of increased costs has seen school operations actually run at a loss for a number of years and require support from the Foundation. We are managing the money well, but it isn’t enough to fund new buildings for College. All this means there are not sufficient funds available, and the shortfall must be financed entirely independently of the Foundation. That is why we need your help now to turn the dream into reality. Sporting Excellence, Health & Wellbeing Centre A traditional sports centre or gymnasium this is not. The Sporting Excellence, Health & Wellbeing Centre will be a multi- purpose educational environment, encompassing physical sport, health and wellbeing. With a stunning architecturally designed building located on a prime city site, it will benefit
construction costs (approximately $15 million; with a total project cost estimate of $20 million). Time is of the essence, too. To align with our Health and Wellbeing Strategy and meet the deadlines of our 2020 Vision, these funds must be raised by the end of June 2019. There is a widely held perception within and beyond the College community that the school has an almost limitless financial capacity. It is true College is very fortunate that generations of past parents, Old Boys and other philanthropists have gifted and bequeathed the school significant resources. These are managed under the umbrella of the Christ’s College Foundation. Every boy, in one way or another, to some degree is provided for by the Foundation. People ask us why the Foundation doesn’t come to the party to completely pay for the proposed new facilities. With a higher cost model than any other school in New Zealand, the Foundation’s funds are already allocated to: scholarships; approximately 25% of the current enrolment receives support towards reduced tuition and/or boarding fees • Enabling staffing to offer our high quality programmes, especially in relation to teacher–student ratios. • Certain other vital activities are also underwritten by the • Maintaining excellence and enabling diversity through
our boys and be accessible to the wider community.
Christ’s College Canterbury
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