Help unlock the Ansin Challenge

12/1/2020

Former RE board chair Andrew L. Ansin ’81 and his family have extended an inspiring challenge to the RE community: Bring the campaign to $70 million of its $75 million goal, and the Ansin Foundation will donate $5 million to get to the finish line.

With $66 million raised to date, the RE community is just $4 million away from unlocking the Ansin Foundation gift that would bring an exciting end to a momentous community effort – and, Ansin hopes, set the stage for the next round of reinvention at RE.

“The goal is really to put a bow on the herculean efforts that have gone into this campaign,” Ansin said, citing the work of board chair Jeffrey Hicks ’84; former chairs Rudy Prio Touzet ’76, Eric Mendelson and Jeffrey Miller ’79 (former Campaign Co-Chair); and Campaign Chair Constance Fernandez and Head of School Penny Townsend. “We are hoping this year we will reach $70 million and be able to celebrate that the school has taken great steps forward. And, of course, we want to continue this important work.”

Ansin, whose two-year term as board chair ended last summer, said he hopes the challenge will ignite more and deeper participation in annual giving at RE as well as the support of capital projects and the school’s endowment during a critical time. Ransom Everglades opened the Constance & Miguel Fernandez STEM Center this fall, and is working on plans to refurbish Ludington Hall while continuing to integrate the La Brisa property into the wider upper school campus.

“In the future,” he said, “we hope to strengthen our endowment and ensure that all of our teaching spaces are consistent with the high quality of education at Ransom Everglades.”

Ansin noted that RE has taken a leadership role during the pandemic, setting the standard for remote learning last spring and safely reopening this fall with protocols and plans in place that have helped protect students, faculty and staff. The school also allocated additional funds for financial aid to assist families affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

“Giving has become even more important as the pandemic has put stress on some of our families,” he said. “The school has stepped in to provide more financial aid, and may need to continue that increase in the coming year.”

Ansin noted that gifts to The Fund for RE – the school’s annual fund – count toward the REinventing Excellence campaign; he urged families to consider year-end gifts to the fund in the coming weeks. The family’s hope is to conclude the campaign during the 2020-21 school year.

The Ansins’ commitment to Ransom Everglades runs deep. Andy attended RE along with siblings James Ansin ’84 and Stephanie Ansin ’90; Andy’s daughters with wife Tatsiana, Sophie ’25, Helen ’26 and Alexandra ’27, are currently enrolled. The family patriarch, Edmund Ansin, died this summer after spearheading the family’s longtime support of Ransom Everglades. Ansin’s mother, Toby Lerner Ansin, served on the RE board; and the extended Ansin family brought back the Raider statue and contributed significantly to the Ansin Aquatic Center, Ansin Pool and Ansin Breezeway. Andy was deeply involved in the STEM center construction project during his term as board chair.

“Our kids are the third generation to be involved with the school,” Ansin said. “Our family appreciates how we have benefitted personally, and we take pride in the good deeds from the school to the community as a whole. We are impressed with how the school has adapted to the pandemic and raised the bar for education during this time.”

To make a gift to the Fund for RE, or learn more about how to contribute to the Reinventing Excellence campaign, contact Director of Advancement Melanie Hoffmann by email or by calling 305 460 8820.

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RE founder Paul Ransom, circa 1903

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