AUGUST 2020
Greetings!

Welcome to our newly designed enewsletter. I hope you enjoy the refreshed look of this communication tool.

We look forward to the re-opening of LFA and the start of classes on August 24. While the campus has been quiet since its closure in March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been connecting with our many alumni over the past few months through virtual events and Zoom conversations.

Here's hoping we can see one another in person in the near future. We wish you all continued good health as we navigate this challenging moment in time together. Go, Caxys!


Ruth Keyso
Director of Alumni Engagement
847.615.3268
847.224.6072
Opening of School
We are meticulously preparing to open the 2020-21 school year with fall preseason on August 16 and predominantly in-person instruction on August 24. The campus will look different with new safety measures and protocols in place. We are happy to report that we expect a fully enrolled and diverse school for 2020-21. We are working closely with a consulting epidemiologist and strengthening our health services to ensure that our campus is COVID-compliant and that our community remains safe and healthy. View our Reopening of School Booklet here .
The Review
We hope you are enjoying your most recent issue of the Review, the alumni magazine. Please let us know if you have moved and need to update your delivery information.

Read the magazine online here .
Alumni Weekend & Reunion
As Lake Forest Academy makes plans to reopen school for the 2020-21 year, the health and safety of LFA students, faculty, and staff (and their families) are our highest priorities. Therefore, in light of anticipated State of Illinois regulations regarding group gatherings and upon the advice of the school’s consulting epidemiologist,  we have had to make the difficult decision to postpone Alumni Weekend & Reunion, originally scheduled for September 25-26, 2020, to September 24-25, 2021.

Milestone Reunion classes from LFA and Ferry Hall ending in 0 and 5 will join classes ending in 1 and 6 for Alumni Weekend & Reunion 2021.

The celebration will be even bigger as these groups come together!

But keep September 25 and 26, 2020 on your calendar! In lieu of our full Alumni Weekend & Reunion line-up, we will announce a series of virtual events to celebrate LFA and its remarkable alumni and alumnae.
 
Check your email and regularly visit www.lfanet.org/reunion for information and registration.
Support the LFA Faculty:
New Faculty Housing Construction Underway
Construction is progressing on the creation of four new faculty apartments on the East side of Atlass Hall dormitory. This $1.8 million project is rooted in the importance of a 24/7 faculty presence and the wholehearted belief that relationships with students--both day and boarding--reside at the heart of the LFA experience. Great on-campus housing is integral to recruiting and retaining the very best teachers and administrators to our school.
 
Faculty are slated to occupy the new apartments in early 2021.
 
Each of the four apartments may be underwritten and/or named by alumni or other philanthropists who wish to support LFA’s great faculty.  For more information about this effort or to inquire about naming opportunities, please contact VP of Advancement Rob Buckla at  rbuckla@lfanet.org

Doing Good at LFA: Hoesel Fund 
Many families have been affected financially by COVID-19. Hear what alumnus Michael Springer  '71 has to say about LFA's Hoesel Fund, a discretionary fund administered by our Dean of Students. We hope you will join Michael and the many alumni who have stepped forward to help those Caxys in need of our support this fall.


For a limited time, if you establish a monthly giving plan for the Hoesel Fund, LFA will earn an additional $100 through the generosity of an anonymous member of the Class of 1975. Details  here .

Thank you, everyone, for your consideration and care of fellow Caxys. 

Supporting LFA is Easier with New Tax Incentive
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (or CARES Act) was authorized in March of this year to incentivize support for charitable causes and reduce the economic impact of the pandemic on retirement fund assets. It created a universal deduction of up to $300 for charitable contributions made after December 31, 2019. This above-the-line deduction is a reduction against gross income for donations to qualified charities ( not donor advised funds) available both to those who itemize and those who take the standard deduction.

The new law also temporarily suspends required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts for the 2020 tax year. Individuals may still make qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from your IRA without claiming the distribution as income if you are 70½ or older, up to $100,000 per individual or $200,000 per couple with separate retirement accounts.

As always, we encourage you to consult your tax adviser to determine how these changes create opportunities for your individual situation. For more information, please contact Director of Individual Philanthropy Garry Sloan at gsloan@lfanet.org
Virtual Happy Hour
Thank you to our alumni who attended the virtual summer happy hour on July 16 via Zoom. This was a great opportunity to network with one another and s ocialize with faculty members, including Head of School José De Jesús.

We will be offering more virtual gatherings and discussions on a variety of topics in the year ahead. Watch your email for details!
Join the LFA App and LinkedIn 
Meet us online! Access the desktop version of the  LFA app  (or search "Graduway" in the App store or Google Play on your phone). And join fellow alumni in our LFA  Alumni LinkedIn Group .