Piedmont’s “Empty Nesters” gather to celebrate schools

On Thursday, November 15, more than 100 “empty nesters”, or parents of children who have already graduated from Piedmont’s schools, gathered at the home of Mark and Tami Becker to mix and mingle with old friends, make new ones, and show their continued support for our schools.

Doug Ireland, a Member of the Piedmont Unified School District’s Board of Education, spoke about why community support to keep Piedmont’s schools thriving is so important. “Sure, it’s about property values, but at the core of it you are here, this is our home, this is our community, we want to keep this place robust. We want new young families to come in and have the same kind of lives that we all got to create for our families,” said Ireland.

Heather Frank, Executive Director of the Piedmont Education Foundation, noted that the 2018-19 Giving Campaign fundraiser which kicked off in late September has raised more than $2.1 million for the Piedmont Unified School District, but there is still a long way to go to ensure essential programs remain in place. Heather also noted how there is a symbiotic relationship between the schools and the greater community, and “empty nesters” have historically been significant contributors to PEF’s Giving Campaign.

Attendees throughout the event celebrated Piedmont’s schools and the positive impact they had on their children’s upbringing. “The Piedmont school community helped Mark and me raise three wonderful, caring, and successful young adults. We still give, because we are grateful!” said Anne-Marie Lamarche.

“It is important to continue giving to the Piedmont Schools, especially with all of the growth happening at the high school. We are very excited to help usher in this new era for our students and ultimately, our community,” said Barbara Love.