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Campaign Update �����������������������������������������������������������
Saint Mary’s has always had an unstoppable drive to provide an unmatched experience for learning and life� Today, we celebrate the commitment to the Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign, the most ambitious campaign ever undertaken at Saint Mary’s in our 180-year history� While your gifts to this campaign will transform our campus, they also embody the generous spirit of Saint Mary’s alumnae, parents, and friends� This spirit is contagious and is due to each and every donor who finds a way to stretch a little so we can go farther together� Thank you, for your energy to match and surpass our DEBT CHALLENGE and raise awareness of all alumnae, families, and friends� Together, with your commitment to foster a new era of increased discovery, creativity, and innovation for our girls, we will ensure Saint Mary’s Forever�
Total raised as of February 4, 2022 $49,021,492.98
Debt Anonymous Challenge met! With total raised towards debt:
$3,983,152.58
[Total raised including debt match]
Annual Fund $1,260,957.14 $1,655,000 goal
Tracey And Henry Smith P'12 Give $7 Million To Support Construction Of New Academic STEM Building
Largest Single Gift In School’s 180-Year History
With a focus on innovative technology experiences and expanded interdisciplinary collaboration, the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) center will be an integral part of the school’s academic corridor and will facilitate programming to promote students’ motivation and ability to pursue STEM studies� The facility, projected to open in 2025, will engage girls in hands-on field experience, laboratory/project-based entrepreneurial tasks, and mentorship experiences� The gift secures naming rights to the facility, to be determined later�
Henry and Tracey Fodor Smith are parents of Saint Mary’s alumna Hannah Smith, Class of 2012� Mrs� Smith served previously as a member of the school’s board of trustees, and the family has supported the school and its mission previously with other generous and impactful gifts�
"Our inspiration to continue supporting Saint Mary’s School stems from our daughter's relationship to the school,” said Tracey Smith� “Hannah graduated in 2012, and we are so proud of the person she has become as a result of attending Saint Mary's� We see the need for all-girls’ schools, and we hope our gift will benefit successful women for many years to come� Education matters!” “Tracey and Henry Smith have set the bar higher than any fundraising effort in Saint Mary’s history,” said Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign Chairs Frank and Ruth E� Holding in a statement� “Even in one of the most turbulent years in history, we see the value of passion and commitment through their extraordinary generosity� We are fortunate to have the best education in the country right here in the heart of Raleigh, and for girls, it all starts at Saint Mary’s� The Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign is a bold move to transform our campus and, in return, the world, through each girl who creates a path to change the world she is in through her leadership and growth, forever� There isn’t a better time to invest in education and in our school�”
Under the leadership of Frank B� Holding Jr� and Ruth E� Perry Holding ’81C P'09, William and Aurelia Monk P'15, Nancy Kerr Thomason ’73HS ’75C, and Anna Zevenhuizen ’07, the Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign steering committee has created a campaign strategy to ensure the realization of Saint Mary's campus master plan and the sustainability of Saint Mary’s mission and vision for future generations� The campaign is focused on three pillars – financial sustainability, growing the endowment, and academic integration and innovation� The campaign, which kicked off its silent phase in 2018, has raised more than $49 million to date� With the help of Raleigh-based campaign counsel Armstrong McGuire, campaign planning is focused on strategies
Hannah Smith ’12, Henry Smith, Tracey Fodor Smith P'12, and Head of School Carol Killebrew at the Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign event, Oct� 28, 2021� Board of Trustees Chair Liza Roberts P'19,'24, left, and Tracey Fodor Smith P'12, right Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign Chairs Frank and Ruth E Perry Holding ’81C P'09 at the announcement of the Smith family’s $7 million gift to Saint Mary’s�
to provide the resources to meet the objectives of the campus master plan, which includes the construction of the new building, the first academic facility built from the ground up at Saint Mary’s since the Ragland Classroom Building opened in 1971�
“On behalf of Saint Mary’s, I offer heartfelt thanks, to Tracey and Henry Smith, for this extraordinary lead gift towards the construction of our new academic building, which will serve our science, technology, and mathematics programs,” says Saint Mary’s Head of School Carol Killebrew� “STEM fields are the way of the future, and Saint Mary’s girls are poised and ready to make an impact in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics� Our STEM programs continue to grow and evolve to meet the needs of our students, and this new academic building will magnify the opportunities we can provide girls in these fields so important to the world in which they live�”
For questions regarding the Saint Mary's Forever Campaign, contact Julie Ricciardi, CFRE, associate head for institutional advancement, at jricciardi@sms.edu or 919-424-4114.
The new academic building will provide innovative 21st century spaces and resources for learning in the STEM fields�
Saint Mary’s School Announces Multi-Million Dollar Lead Gift to create
Blanche Robertson Bacon ’53HS ’55C
Saint Mary’s School has received a $4�25 million gift as part of the Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign for the creation of The Blanche Robertson Bacon Performing Arts Center� The gift is being made in honor and memory of alumna Blanche Robertson Bacon, a member of the school’s high school Class of 1953 and the junior college Class of 1955, by members of her family� Family supporting this important initiative include Julian H� Robertson Jr�, Mrs� Bacon’s brother; Wyndham Robertson, Mrs� Bacon’s sister; Blanche Spencer Williamson ’76HS, Mrs� Bacon’s daughter; Julian and Beth Williamson and family, Mrs� Bacon’s son (and a member of the school’s Board of Trustees); and daughter-in-law (also past and current parents); and Caroline Williamson and family, Mrs� Bacon’s daughter-in-law� At the family’s request, the facility will be known as The Blanche Center�
After an architecturally sensitive renovation, Eliza Battle Pittman Auditorium, a Raleigh Historic Property built in 1907, as well as a new adjoining facility, will collectively create the multifunctional Blanche Center� The center will encompass the school’s largest indoor gathering space as well as house a Black Box Theatre, atrium and event lobby with concession area and art gallery, offices for faculty, dressing rooms, restrooms, storage for costumes and sets, and expanded side and backstage areas� The Blanche Center will bolster Saint Mary’s commitment to interdisciplinary interaction as well as excellence in personal artistic exploration and participation� Additionally, the center will enhance the educational experience of all Saint Mary’s students, as it will provide spaces where girls gain confidence and find inspiration from performances, convocations, awards and sports ceremonies, weekly all-school assemblies, speakers, and more� The center will enhance the arts scene in the Raleigh community by welcoming and connecting renowned artists, performers, and speakers to the school’s historic downtown campus� The late Blanche Robertson Bacon was a Saint Mary’s alumna with a lifetime legacy of distinguished leadership, service, and philanthropy at the school and in the Raleigh community� She served for many years on the school’s Board of Trustees, including as vice chair� She was the recipient of Saint Mary’s Outstanding Alumna Award and the John Bratton, Jr� Volunteer Service Award for her decades-long, instrumental guidance�
“The renovation and expansion of the performing arts center at Saint Mary’s School is so meaningful and impactful,” say Forever Campaign Chairs Frank and Ruth E� Perry Holding '81C P'09 of Raleigh� “This is a central part of campus life where so many gatherings and events are held for the school� It will be enjoyed for generations to come� We thank the family of Blanche Robertson Bacon for their amazing gift for the performing arts center at Saint Mary’s�”
Under the leadership of Frank B� Holding Jr� and Ruth E� Perry Holding ’81C P'09, William and Aurelia Monk P'15, Nancy Kerr Thomason ’73HS ’75C, and Anna Zevenhuizen ’07, the Saint Mary’s Forever Campaign steering committee has created a strategy to ensure the realization of Saint Mary’s campus master plan and the sustainability of school’s mission and vision for future generations� The campaign, which has raised more than $49 million to date, is focused on three pillars – financial sustainability, growing the endowment, and academic integration and innovation�
“I extend a heartfelt thank you to the family of Blanche Robertson Bacon for making our performing arts center possible,” says Head of School Carol Killebrew� “This arts center will have a powerful impact for our students, our school, and the Raleigh community�”
A new atrium/event lobby will connect Pittman Auditorium to a new arts building to the east of the existing auditorium, creating the performing arts center�
