After the School’s main building was destroyed by fire, the first notable capital campaign was launched in 1929 to raise $750,000 for a new building (the current Allan Building). An article in the April 20, 1929, Issue of The Week described, “On Friday, April 5, we opened our campaign for funds to rebuild McDonogh by a parade of the cadet battalion through the downtown streets of Baltimore.” The cadet corps in their Sunday uniforms and polished rifles paraded down Charles Street and was joined by mounted police, the police band, and the Evening Sun Newsboy Band. Mayor Broening spoke at the City Hall Plaza, and the next day he came out to the School for events and exhibitions, which included an airplane that delivered pledges totaling $14,000.
Since then, McDonogh has embarked on less dramatic but equally significant fundraising efforts primarily in conjunction with the School’s milestone anniversaries. In addition to securing funds to construct and renovate campus facilities, the efforts supported the less visible but equally important professional development, scholarship, and endowment needs. With names like the Centennial Campaign (1973), the Campaign for McDonogh (1998), There’s No Place Like McDonogh: Becoming Our Best (2004), and the McDonogh Forever Campaign (2010) the community has come together to support the School and secure McDonogh’s position among the nation’s leading independent schools.
Like the previous efforts, the $90 million Legacy Campaign, which will conclude during the School’s 150th anniversary year, will advance McDonogh’s distinctive educational experience far into the future. Learn more here.
