the sue britSon changemaker fund

October 20, 2022

Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that we have not just reached our goal of raising $750,000 for the Sue Britson Changemaker Fund, we have surpassed it! Together, we raised $800,000, which enables us to provide 100% financial aid for an average of 5 children each year over the next 10 years.

On behalf of all of us at Step One, I write with a most sincere thank you to everyone in our community who came forward to support this campaign. “Friends forever” has never felt more true as foundations, current families, alumni families and students, grandparents, friends and teachers from every decade of the school helped us surpass our goal. I want to especially thank Jim Van Huysse for his exceptional leadership and his big heart in supporting Step One and chairing this campaign. A very special thank you to our Board Chair Jenny Herbert Creek and Sue Britson for your guidance and support and to the committee members for your time and energy in truly making this a community effort.  Sue is so excited about this initiative in her honor, and shared that “this expansion of Step One’s financial aid program is a true game changer for the school – I couldn’t be prouder of the Step One community!

For the rest of this school year, we will be focused on creating an implementation plan in preparation for awarding full tuition for the 2023-2024 school year. We look forward to keeping you posted on our efforts to increase access for families who would not otherwise have the opportunity to enroll their children at Step One.

Thank you again for your generosity and commitment to our mission and values.

In gratitude,

Susana Casher

Thank You To Our Leadership!

Chair: Jim Van Huysse, Board Member & Alumni Family

Committee Members:

Andrew Kibbey and Talia Pines, Current Family  

Anne Perkins, Board Member & Alumni  Family  

Carrie Kabat, Current Family  

Iris Korovesi, Board Member & Current Family  

Jenny Herbert Creek, Board Chair & Alumni Family  

John Belliveau-Flores and Eugenia Yu, Current Family  

JR Moehringer and Shannon Welch, Current Family 

Liz and T.C. Clark, Former Board Member & Alumni Family 

Maureen Nandini Mitra, Board Member & Alumni  Family  

Michael Ouye, Current Family & Alumni Student  

Negar Souza, Former Board Member & Alumni Family 

Rakhee Sharma, Former Board Member & Alumni Family  

Sue Britson, Co-Founder & Retired Executive Director

Susana Casher, Executive Director

Sophie Hahn and Eric Bjerkholt, Former Board Members & Alumni Family  

Ted Kohnen, Board Member & Current Family  

Yumi Yuan, Former Board Member & Alumni Family