Thanks to you, Kieve successfully completes our Forever Kieve Capital Campaign

March 14, 2007

Thanks to many loyal Kieve families, friends and alumni, we exceeded our Forever Kieve campaign goal. In addition, The Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan, the nation's pre-eminent foundation for "bricks and mortar" projects, awarded a challenge grant of $700,000 to Kieve as the final gift toward the organization's three-year "Forever Kieve" capital campaign. Kresge made its contribution as a challenge and required Kieve to raise the balance needed for its $8 million capital campaign by the end of 2006 to receive Kresge's grant.

Noting that national competition for Kresge grants is intense, Kieve's Executive Director, Henry Kennedy, said, "We feel fortunate to have received this incredible vote of confidence from The Kresge Foundation. Their challenge grant helped us exceed our 3-year $8 million goal so that we can renovate our campus, serve more kids from Maine and around the world, and protect this beautiful, fragile peninsula." "We are immensely grateful to the more than 1,500 donors who generously supported Kieve's educational vision and mission," commented Kennedy. Kieve's Leadership School has provided character education programs at its Nobleboro campus for middle school students since the program began over 26 years ago. Last year The Leadership School worked with nearly 8,000 students, their parents and teachers, from 115 different schools from Fort Kent to Kittery, 71 of these schools attended the residential program at Kieve. Typically, students and teachers from sixth, seventh or eighth grade attend school at Kieve for three to five days. Parents attend for one of the days during the week to participate in workshops to better understand some of the challenges and opportunities presented to their children. Using the experiential education model in which students, teachers, and parents are active participants, the program provides students with factually accurate information and the confidence and communications skills to make healthy decisions, even in the face of contrary peer pressure. It also encourages students to raise their post-secondary educational aspirations. "The Forever Kieve Campaign was critical to allowing the Leadership School program to grow," said Leadership School Director, Bob Grant. "Until now we have not had enough winterized buildings at Kieve to accommodate all the schools that want to participate."

In a typical week at Kieve when the school is in session, there are approximately 180 students, their teachers and parents, and 30 Leadership School teachers, interns and staff on campus each day. Kieve provides over $750,000 annually in subsidies to make the program affordable for schools and districts, which must raise funds locally for their students to participate.

Construction of new year-round cabins at the Nobleboro campus has been underway for the past 3 years. To date, three new double cabins, waterfront facilities, renovated classrooms and infrastructure improvements have been completed and one new double cabin is currently being constructed for next summer. The Master Plan, which is being funded by the Forever Kieve capital campaign, overall calls for six new cabins to replace ones dating from the 50's, 60's and 70's, re-building of the waterfront facilities, locating infrastructure and utilities underground, re-building walkways for campus foot traffic and to reduce erosion, and constructing an indoor climbing wall and classroom building. "Green" construction is being featured throughout the project. For more information about the Forever Kieve Campaign, or for construction photos, please visit www.foreverkieve.org.