Kind-hearted families and friends across North Texas opened their wallets and donated $198,088 to The Oakridge School for this year's North Texas Giving Day. The online event is the largest 18-hour giving extravaganza designed to benefit local nonprofits in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. North Texas Giving Day also served as the official campaign kickoff to Oakridge's 2019-2020 Annual Fund. This year's theme is "All in for Oakridge."
"We are thankful for the generosity of every single person who gave in support of Oakridge," said Head of School Jon Kellam. "No matter the size of the contribution, these gifts have a tangible impact in the lives of our students, faculty, and staff. Such philanthropic commitment confirms that we are all in for Oakridge."
Director of Development Lauren Matocha expressed her appreciation for Oakridge's supporters and acknowledged the school's 40-year long tradition of giving. "North Texas Giving Day aligns with our school's mission and helps us to provide an incomparable academic experience for our students in the Early Childhood Center, Lower, Middle, and Upper School. Because of our donors, we will be able to strengthen current initiatives and consider or create new ones."
Oakridge Regent Michael Heiskell and his wife, Anita, are this year's Annual Fund Chairs and admit they had only one response when asked to lead the 2019-2020 campaign. "Yes," Mr. and Mrs. Heiskell said. "Having three of our four children as Oakridge alums (Marin '96, James '01, Michael '18) and with our son Mason '20 in his senior year, we can attest to the excellent education and opportunities that Oakridge provides. Each of our children was energized to learn and take advantage of their college prep education. Since the school's inception, Oakridge continues its quest to provide exceptional experiences in academics, the arts, and athletics in a challenging and nurturing environment."
Visit the Annual Fund, Super Supper and Auction, and Owl Club Golf Classic links to learn more about how to make a gift and how the contributions are used. Supporters may also email Mrs. Matocha at lmatocha@theoakridgeschool.org.
North Texas Giving Day is coordinated by the Communities Foundation of Texas. The main donation day was Sept. 19, 2019, but the annual event is actually 11 days of raising awareness for donations for nearly 3,000 nonprofit organizations across North Texas. Preliminary numbers posted on the North Texas Giving Day website show there were 169,464 donations totaling $50,192,976 as of Tuesday, Sept. 24. Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and his wife, Jessica, served as this year's Honorary Chairs. Watch a video of their congratulatory message to donors who are making a huge difference to nonprofits and the many people they serve.