Journey School Receives $250,000 Donation

Journey School in Aliso Viejo recently received a $250,000 donation, which will be used to create a non-profit REACH Development Office (Research, Educational Initiatives, Acquiring permanent campus, Community connections, Heighten educational horizons and possibilities.)

The goal of the new development office is to bring in fundraising support from outside sources, making the Waldorf education charter school financially independent.

Rob and Linda McGee, parents of three Journey School students, made the donation because "We have a need for providing education that's outside the box and we want this to be here for future generations. In a world of many causes, we felt that Journey was one worthy of our donation," they said in a press release.

A development office board of directors has been established to fulfill the 501c(3) non-profit status requirement, making it possible for outside donors to make tax-deductible donations to the school.

“We know, now more than ever, that we cannot be passive in light of the ongoing budget crisis that all public schools face. The time for big vision, innovation, and bold action has arrived. We will not wait for opportunities to find us. Rather, we will make our own opportunities,” said Shaheer Faltas, school administrator.

Journey School’s Compassionate Campus program was also recently recognized for its innovation. Educational Director Bonnie River developed the program, which has recently been awarded the Townsend Press Prize worth $5,000 and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Prize worth $10,000.

Through student-to-student interaction Journey School’s Compassionate Campus program hopes to grow empathy. The program matches older students with lower grade “buddies” for mentoring and bi-weekly meetings.