Testimonials from Parents Who Recieved Tuition Assistance from the Friends Education Fund

Gratitude

“PYM's support of our children matters in ways beyond the dollar amount. It is a very tangible way the Yearly Meeting invests in our children, and makes a commitment to nurturing their Quaker character.”

“Without the help of PYM's tuition grants, we would not have been able to keep them in Friends' schools.”

“We could not possibly afford to send our children to a Quaker school if it weren't for the generous scholarships available to us.”

“We deeply appreciate PYM's commitment to assisting us.”

“I feel that I am blessed to have had the experience to learn from caring teachers in a setting like my Friends school. That PYM helped give me the opportunity to attend makes me forever grateful.”

“The generosity of PYM helped to turn out a fine young man and we are grateful.”

“I can attest to the positive impact our Friends school has had on my children's lives and that it has been worth every penny and every sacrifice that we have made to make it happen. We have appreciated PYM's financial help for 8 years now.”

“Sending our girls to the Friends school has been [financially] difficult, but it is worth it and we are extremely grateful to PYM, our Monthly and Quarterly Meetings and to the school.”

“I value the School’s genuine Quaker orientation, and we are immensely appreciative of the support we have received.”

“Without the financial aid that flows from PYM and my Monthly Meeting, my daughter's enrollment in our Friends school would be impossible, and she and her family would be much the poorer for it.”

“You cannot know, though you certainly deserve to, how profoundly [PYM tuition aid] has shaped our lives.”

“A Friends school offers families a source of stability to help stand up to a society that bombards its children with an endless stream of highly questionable values. My wife and I will always be grateful for the financial assistance and support we received from both PYM and our own meeting to help our children attend and graduate from a Friends school.”

“I will be forever grateful.”

Praise for Friends education

“A few words come to mind when trying to relate the qualities I recognize in a Friends school education: poise, gentleness, intelligence, maturity, openness, understanding, responsibility and grace. I can’t think of ANYWHERE else I would rather our children be and I am so grateful that my husband and I have been supported in this; it means more than words can ever say.”

“A Friend's education has been critical for the self-esteem of my eldest child, who has dyslexia, and my middle child who walks to a different drummer.  Not only have they had the chance to receive the highest quality of education, it has been done in loving, caring and diverse communities.”

“I tell [my daughters] often to thank their lucky stars.”

“[My son] was taught to be accountable for his words and actions, and with the help of his teachers, to strive to always do his personal best. When his best wasn’t the first or the overall best, he learned to lose with grace and dignity. These are the “life lessons” that are hard to describe in a curriculum, but can be more important than spelling words in the long run.”

“It is hard to find the words to adequately describe what an unbelievable place our Friends school is and how it changes lives everyday for those fortunate enough to experience it.”

“The benefits [of a Friends education] are countless and priceless, e.g. living the Holy Experiment in miniature.”

“[My son] was eager to get up and go to school each day.”

“With our Friends school we are raising our children in an environment of tolerance, respect for individuality, concern for environmental issues, and awareness of the great amount of work that needs to be done toward social justice, all of this is at the core of our commitment to Quakerism.”

“My children are simply thriving at our Friends school.”

“We are most appreciative of the Friends philosophy and education that contributes to and reinforces our desire to raise our son with a social conscience, with compassion, and with fairness and respect for his fellow man.  We see the effects of this in his behavior on the sports field, in the class room and in the community.”

“I am describing a school run according to Quaker testimonies, and knowing that my daughter is in a place that consciously tries to live up to these values is worth every penny.”

“Along with what I have read in Faith and Practice and Pendle Hill publications, along with how I have grown via committee work and as our representative to the Quarter, along with how the Spirit has moved in communion each First Day, I have learned in equal measure about our Quaker witness and testimony from both the curriculum of the school, and it's day-to-day operation.”

“Children are listened to and answered thoughtfully, are part of a diverse community where differences are celebrated, are encouraged to care for others and solve problems peacefully, and are reminded of the light of God in themselves and others.”

“[Our Friends school has] a sense of an authentic community where that of God in each person is respected and nurtured.”

The sacrifice

“My wife and I work hard, live simply, and put all we can into their education.”

“[To us] Quaker education is not a choice, but financing it makes one look at life choices.”

“Absent the aid provided by PYM we could not afford to have our children in a Friends school.  Our Quaker faith is very important to us and our Friends school provides reinforcement.”

The future

“A Friends education for Friends children perpetuates another generation of active Quaker children and adults to carry on this worthy mission.”

“I really do find myself living a life of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality. I guess those Quakerism classes really did pay off.”

“In looking back I would have to say that it was the assurance that PYM would offer us assistance that tipped the scale. It was like a kind of Quakerly small-business loan, a good faith investment in local folks who deserved a shot at growing and making their community a more distinct and better place.”

“My hope is that someday we can repay the funds that we have "borrowed," and then some, to enable future kids to have the same wonderful experience!”

—March 2008