I graduated from NSCD in 1979, followed by my two younger brothers. And although Bill is not technically a Raider himself, his dad, aunt, uncle, niece and five cousins all attended the school. Most recently, our youngest, Charley Bell, graduated in 2021, and he flourished during his time at NSCD, as did the rest of our family.
Living near campus for the past 20 years, and especially having had Charley recently attend, has given us a front row seat to the many ways North Shore continues to thoughtfully deliver on everything it does so well: education, community, the arts, inclusiveness, creativity and service, to name just a few. Certainly, another decisive and motivating factor for us is the school’s direction, faculty, staff and leadership, with a special nod to Head of School Tom Flemma. In a word, INSPIRING.
Bill is always quick to say that his main motivator in supporting NSCD via estate planning is both a combination of what he believes to be the long-term vision of the leadership, as well as my long-time love for and involvement with the school. (So sweet!)
For starters, I’ve been my class rep pretty much forever, served on the Alumni Board, co-chaired a Scholarship Benefit, co-founded Alumni Live and Serve Day, and this fall I will co-chair our class reunion and chair our reunion annual giving program. Bill is always right there front and center volunteering and maintaining generous support. In my book, he has definitely earned honorary Raider status — and the right to wear all the Raider gear he wants.
We feel fortunate to see NSCD up close and in action, and to be part of the school community in so many ways, over so many years. While we proudly support every current initiative that we can, including Annual Giving, the campaign, the Benefit and more, we also wanted to go further and support the future school. As the competitive educational landscape intensifies, differentiators will become increasingly important in framing NSCD’s value for its students and their parents. Our hope is that these funds will be utilized by NSCD to further its competitive edge in attracting the highest caliber students and faculty.
Estate planning is our vote of confidence in NSCD today — and tomorrow.
To learn more about planned giving, contact Acting Director of Development Tracie Frederick at 847.881.8809 or tfrederick@nscds.org.