Are you ready for Arty Party???

We are thrilled our silent auction is now ONLINE! Click here to preview the amazing auction items, and be sure to register now.  You will get a reminder on April 11 when the auction opens. Winners announced LIVE at The Granada at 2:30 on Sunday, April 14. Good Luck!
See the Arty Party schedule of events below.  See you there!

 

 

 

2nd Annual Arty Party!

Join us on Sunday, April 14 at The Granada!  Come by between 11am and 5pm for this FUNdraiser hosted by the Friends of Raintree.  Proceeds benefit all aspects of our mission to support and improve the educational experience of current and prospective Raintree students by ensuring that students have all of the necessary resources and support to be successful.

Thanks to everyone who connected this month!

December brought two big events for Friends of Raintree.  The first was a special coloring book signing with Spencer Lott and “the Raintree goat” on December 12, the second was the Inclusive Art Market a few days later at the Lied Center on December 16.   Notes and pictures about these events below!  thanks to everyone who attended and worked on these events!  Check out this note from the goat:
Next – a big thank you to Taylor Overton, our newest board member, for inviting Friends of Raintree to join her Inclusive Art Fair held this past Saturday, Dec. 16. Taylor is not only a Raintree Alum, but also one of the founding members of Black:30 and our enviable host of the event.
Tamara, Haley and I were invited to share a table with Taylor’s mother, Cindy, in the sunshine filled atrium of the Lied Center. It was a busy day from start to finish.  Mayor Bart Littlejohn and other representatives from the city and KU were there to kick off the event with a ribbon cutting (and I got to hold one end of the ribbon!)
We received $632 (net donations) for coloring books, notecards, Gibson’s books, aprons and bags! We talked with many Raintree Alumni, spotted a few past and current board members and had a wonderful time at an event enjoyed by so many!  We were constantly treated to fresh bottles of water and delicious passed hors d’oeuvres at 4PM

Holiday Market

Come visit our table at the Holiday Fair at the Lied Center.  Raintree Coloring books will be available as well as other great Raintree memorabilia.

Coloring book signing with Spencer Lott Dec 12 2023

HE’S BACK! Raintree parent and Sesame Street Puppeteer, Spencer Lott, is returning with the beloved Raintree Goat, a favorite of Founder’s Day… and he’s ready to sign autographs! Join us in the Raintree Library on Tuesday, December 12th from 4:00-5:30pm. Purchase a Raintree Coloring Book for $25 and have it signed by the Raintree Goat. While you’re there, grab a high-five and even a photo… he can’t wait to see you all! Already purchased your Raintree Coloring Book? Great! Bring it and get it signed for free! All proceeds go to support the Friends of Raintree’s staff development fund. In addition, Raintree alum, Gibson Huston, will be selling and signing copies of his book, “The Boy with Half a Brain.” We can’t wait to see you!

A look back on Founders Day

Click here to view the Founders’ Day slideshow

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Saturday, October 14th for all of the fun and festivities at our first Founders’ Day. Chef Chris and Don served up delicious burgers and sides, Dan Huston pressed some serious cider from fresh apples, we made sculptures with Erica Kjorlie Geery and went fishing in the pond with the help of Ryan Kuhn, all while amazing volunteers greeted folks and handed out buttons like “ask me when I went to Raintree,” and sold heartwarming commemorative items like t-shirts, cards and Halloween themed piñatas.

Nearly everyone came to hear Spencer Lott tell us “how to get to Sesame Street.” He delighted us as he guided us in an interactive lesson on puppetry.

We gathered together again at 3:00pm to hear a touching poem by founding Friends of Raintree member, Hossein Gerami, and to be part of a special and emotional Founders’ Day gift to Keith and Lleanna McReynolds, followed by a lovely rendition of the Raintree Song.

We closed out the day enjoying the fantastic music of Benjamin Cartel & Friends while finishing up the “Keith McReynolds Raintree History Challenge” Scavenger hunt, playing mini-golf, flying kites, playing pumpkin tic-tac-toe or just enjoying sharing time with friends.

We were very excited for the long-awaited arrival of the Raintree Coloring Book, full of Lleanna’s beautiful drawings. For those of you who were unable to join us in person, you still have the opportunity to get your own copy with a $25 donation.

Friends of Raintree board member, former Raintree student (1979-1982) and former parent (2006-2019), Cindy Bracker Sturm, shared a poignant message about her Raintree memories, and her family’s deep ties to Raintree as she announced and launched our campaign “100 Give $100” here’s an excerpt:

“We are here today to celebrate all of the wonder and beauty of Raintree, to celebrate the hardworking founders of this school and the dream they had when they opened it 46 years ago. But we are also here to preserve its past and to ensure its future, and I’d like to share with you an important goal and some incredible news. Today we are announcing a campaign called 100 Give $100, and we are hoping that we can find 100 people whose lives have been touched by Raintree to donate $100 each. Now, if you are quick at math, you might believe that we would raise $10,000 from this campaign, but…here’s where the good news comes in. I’m also thrilled to say that our board secured $10,000 in matching funds for our 100 Give $100 campaign.”

We hope that you will join us in this campaign to ensure that we are able to extend the incredible Raintree experience to families who may be struggling to provide this opportunity to their kids

Founder’s Day!

Re-live Founders’ Day with this video slideshow

Founder’s Day 2023 | Celebrating 46 Years of Raintree

Current families, alumni, please join us for Founder’s Day on October 14th, 12-5pm at Raintree.
Plan for a day of community, celebration, and thanks for our Raintree roots.
CELEBRATE OUR FOUNDATION | GIVE TO OUR FUTURE

#RaintreeMontessoriSchool #FriendsofRaintree #RaintreeFoundersDay2023

Founder’s Day Festival is a day of special events for families of students and alumni to enjoy.

  • Free Admission and Pay to Play numerous activities including yard games, a scavenger hunt, obstacle course and 9-hole mini golf course.
  • From 12-2, create sculptures on the back deck with Erika Kjorlie Geery, Raintree Elementary Art Instructor
  • Help out with an apple press, make arts and crafts and fish in the pond (bring your own pole, please)
  • Enjoy a picnic lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs with chips and drinks
  • Come early to get a good seat in the Raintree amphitheater to enjoy the 1:30 PM talk by Raintree Parent and Puppeteer, Spencer Lott presents “Life As a Muppet: with Sesame Street Puppeteer Spencer Lott”
  • Be sure to arrive before 3 PM to join the Raintree Song Singalong, led by Benjamin Rosenthal, Raintree Primary Assistant and Music Director.
  • Benjamin then brings out the band to rock out the rest of the day with Benjamin Cartel & Friends in a fun performance for the whole family
  • Purchase your own special copy of the limited edition Raintree Coloring Book, Celebrating 46 Years of Lleanna Drawings

All proceeds will go to the Friends of Raintree 501 (c)(3), a nonprofit with four distinct missions: scholarships, inclusion, staff development, and entrepreneurship.

Volunteers Needed, Sign Up Today!