Dear Co-op Alumni, September 2020
Standing on the porch of the Co-op last spring, it felt like the 1950s. The parking lot was empty, the highway was quiet, save for a lone passing car once in a while. I imagined long ago when the teacher would ring the schoolhouse bell and children would arrive on foot or on horseback. The Rutherford schoolhouse was built in 1888 and the St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School was established in 1966. It is remarkable to think of the generations of children that have joyfully walked across the porch to learn, socialize and build a community together. No matter the century or how they arrived, the school continued to offer children an environment to experience the significant years of early childhood.
We closed our doors on March 13th this year. The May Day bouquets, the ‘Ol School Dance Party, the yearly fire station visit, pudding painting, stinky Day and memory books – all the teeny treasures of Co-op were halted and tucked away. The quiet was (and still is) deafening.
As we all know, the magic of Co-op is PLAY. We believe that children develop most fully through social interaction, multi-sensory activities and active parent involvement. This is not, nor can it be, a remote experience. Our hope is to open our doors later this Fall, but only if it is safe to do so.
Like many of you, we are creatively stretching our resources so that we can remain afloat until the world rights itself. It is, without question, your generosity and many helping hands over the years that have enabled us to weather this unprecedented time in our school’s history. We have again been offered a matching grant of $25,000 from the Roger J. Trinchero Family Foundation. We humbly ask for your support in meeting this challenge, and we are deeply grateful that your contributions will be doubled by the grant.
It is certainly our moment as parents and grandparents to practice what we teach. Resilience has long been a cherished value at the Co-op, but now it has become our true north. We remain patient and hopeful, and look forward to the day we can ring the bell with abandon to welcome the children back to school.
As always, with deep gratitude for your continued support,
Maureen Kelly, Executive Director
P.S. You may send a check or make a donation online through our PayPal account. Click the Donate button located on the Fundraising page on our website. www.sthelenacoop.org.
Here are just a few examples of what your support can do:
$15 buys a gallon of finger paint
$40 buys glitter for the year
$50 buys one no-touch thermometer
$100 buys a year’s worth of Play-Doh ingredients
$250 buys a Eco One disinfectant maker
$500 buys two large air purifiers
