Charles Wright is forming a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound. Initially, this partnership will involve two strands: collaborating on community service opportunities and working together to bring high financial need students to the school. Support for this collaboration is being provided by a generous gift to the school’s endowment from the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation.

Income from the new endowed scholarship fund will be used to bring some high-need students to CWA each year, beginning in the fall of 2008. The students are being identified through a rigorous process involving both the school and the Boys and Girls Clubs.

The details of the community service collaboration are in the process of being developed. While the populations served by the two organizations are not identical, there is great overlap in mission. Both organizations work to empower the children they work with to find success, and both base their work with children on a strong bond between children and the adults who work with them. The second sentence of the school’s new mission statement (“Within a diverse learning community, we foster self-reliance, integrity, social responsibility, and humor, empowering our students to achieve their personal best in mind, body, and spirit”) overlaps significantly with the mission statement of the Boys and Girls Clubs (“To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens”).

This is a wonderful opportunity both for the school and the Boys and Girls Clubs. We are very grateful to Cari Milgard-DeGoede ’77, Lori Milgard-Rivera ’79, and Mark Milgard for making this opportunity possible.