To Give and To Get

By Erin Fountain, Tahoe Truckee Waldorf Executive Director

As we enter the season of giving in a year that has been so very unpredictable, I wanted to share with our community some of the things that my family is personally taking on in order to give back to our Waldorf family and our new campus. 

After spending some time putting all of the ways we can contribute together, I realized that there are so many ways we can give back that don’t cost a dime or hardly any time at all, and some we are doing already without even knowing it!  This campus belongs to us, to you, and to the world that our children will shape when they leave. Everything my family and I have chosen to do this year to give back has lots of meaning to us personally, and I am excited to make a difference while having fun with my kiddos, Evie and Milly.

We made our holiday card.  Being a former Tiny Prints and Shutterfly employee, I love sharing life’s joy through snail mail, and I am always one of the first people among my family and friends to order my holiday card. Our card is doubly special  this year because we haven’t gotten to see our extended family and friends on a normal basis.  I am using our card to tell our 2020 story, and my girls’ grandparents will be able to see how much they have grown.  This year I ordered from Minted because they are giving a substantial percentage back to Tahoe Truckee Waldorf.  I received my card in the mail this week, and I cannot wait to send it out!

We are helping set the foundation on our campus with a family brick.  I told Evie and Milly that our name was going to be on a brick at the new campus, and they immediately said they wanted to go visit to find the one with our name on it! 

Evie and Milly made gifts for their teachers!  They had so much fun hunting for the biggest and best pinecones that they could paint for their teachers at Little Gems. I am going to use the Benefit App to buy Starbucks gift cards and slide them into the hand painted pinecones. A portion of each gift card will go back to Tahoe Truckee Waldorf, so it was a no brainer for me to purchase them through this app rather than go the store.  I can’t wait to see the looks on the teachers’ faced when the girls give their gifts to their favorite people!

This next one may seem effortless, but has big impact. I use Amazon Smile to order my monthly cleaning supplies on subscribe and save.  This takes zero effort and benefits the new campus every time I place an order.  I also asked my friends and family to do the same, and it was awesome seeing how immediately they wanted to help. 

We have family dates on campus.  One of the things I am struggling with most during Covid-19 is figuring out how to entertain Evie and Milly while keeping them safe - especially as the weather turns colder.  Since Kidzone is currently not an option, we are having family dates on campus!  Sweeping, raking and cleaning up all while having fun playing hide and seek! The girls love to go, and I love that we are teaching them to work hard while playing hard too.

This Giving Tuesday and for this full Giving Season, I am personally asking you to join me! Checkout our full list of ways you can make a difference in our community, and choose at least 2 ways that mean the most to you to get involved this giving season.  Let’s get 100% participation! If you have questions on any of the ways my family is getting involved and giving back please feel free to reach out to me.  I am happy to answer any questions, or just say hey if you want to chat!  I look forward to see how your family decides to get involved in our community!

Happy Giving Season!

Erin Fountain - Executive Director Tahoe Truckee Waldorf

(Jordan, Evie and Milly too!)