Friday, June 8, 2018

Why I Give: Gauri and Ranjit Lakhanpal

How long has your family been part of the Singapore American School community?

This is our sixth year in Singapore and at SAS. We moved to Singapore from Hong Kong in 2012 when our son Shivan was five years old. He's now a fifth grader.

What excites you about the education at SAS?

Change is the only constant in the world and we are impressed that the focus at SAS is on equipping students with curiosity, resilience, and engagement to help them brave the evolving challenges of the future. The school recognizes that each student has their own trajectory and gives them the freedom to define it, encouraging them to take responsibility for their choices.

We are touched by how much the teachers care and how invested they are in each student's learning. There is no more emphatic validation of a teacher's understanding of your child than when at the first parent-teacher conference, the teacher talks about your child (after knowing them for two months) with the same depth of understanding that you, as a parent, would!

Why do you choose to support the SAS Foundation?

We actively sought out ways to contribute to SAS when we came here. We were fortunate to receive academic scholarships early on in our lives, giving us exposure and opportunities that otherwise may not have come our way. This made us aware of the power of giving and how it can help institutions impact students on so many levels–– scholarships, research, and facilities, to name a few.

We have always sought ways to give back, particularly to institutions that have touched our lives. Supporting an institution that we are entrusting our son's future to is a natural extension of our beliefs.

The SAS Foundation impacts the school on all fronts. The foundation contributes to everything from support services to college counseling to faculty development to facilities. Foundation gifts impact all students.

Why is it important for the community to support SAS?

Our children spend more of their waking hours at SAS than anywhere else. We strongly feel that the environment, facilities, teachers, and support networks at the school should be the very best possible. People often think that tuition alone is sufficient to cover all the school's needs and priorities. However, we've always thought of giving to the foundation as an investment in "R&D", if you will. Giving to the foundation empowers the school to anticipate future needs and invest in addressing those in advance. A strong foundation can push the envelope and allow the school to go from good to great in various spheres.

People also feel that giving to a foundation means a big check. As someone who has worked in fundraising for a non-profit for many years, I have seen that any amount, whether big or small, makes a difference.

Our years as SAS parents have strengthened our confidence and faith in the school's ability and commitment to stay ahead of the curve in academic exposure and support, co-curricular activities, and other facilities they offer our children. Supporting the foundation is our way of empowering the school to continue to offer a world-class education to our children.



from Singapore American School https://ift.tt/2xSw2rZ

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