2009 has been both an extremely challenging and exciting year.  Despite the troubled times, our mission of putting the students first remains unscathed and our commitment to having a school where research and best educational practices are the number one budgetary priority has not faltered.

This commitment has recently brought us the accolades of the French Ministry of Education, where the concluding remarks of our October 2009 inspection report states that LILA is "the pedagogical showcase of North American French schools."

We have always been a school rich in content, even if we have never been rich in funds.  We have taken ownership of our curriculum, even if we have not yet been able to buy our campuses.

This is where fundraising comes in.  As we have discussed at the back-to-school meetings, fundraising at LILA provides for the "icing on the cake."  Tuition dollars give us the substance, allowing us to pay salaries and have classrooms.  Fundraising allows us to put away for the eventual purchase of campuses and to make improvements to our facilities. It also brings in expensive educational equipment that goes beyond what our operating budget allows.

LILA Gazette Annual drive  (just click) gives you a snapshot of fundraising at LILA and shows all the amazing projects we were able to accomplish last year merely through the support of generous parents and friends like you.

The annual drive is an extremely important part of our fundraising program.  Without investing in expensive campaigns, but rather by sending this simple letter in the mail, we are asking families and friends of LILA to give above and beyond the tuition dollars they may already pay to the school.  Funds raised through this year's annual drive will be set aside to equip more classes with Smart Board technology and to continue the needed improvements that were already started this year. 

I am proud to say that a generous Los Feliz family has already opened our Annual Drive campaign this year with a $10,000 gift.  Please follow their lead.  Give what you can.  Every cent you donate will go directly to the LILA campus of your choice.

I know that LILA is a school we can all be proud of.  I see how far we have come, I see how far we want to go, and I understand that it is an honor and a privilege to be part of such a dynamic organization.