You Can Help Jefferson School Students

Good mental health and well-being should be every child’s birthright. Children and young people shouldn’t have to face the pain, trauma and stigma that often result from their behavioral health problems and emotional disabilities. But they do.

The complex behavioral problems and emotional disabilities Jefferson School students struggle with each day don’t lend themselves to abbreviated descriptions. Nor do the unique and extensive care and therapy, educational interventions, and residential treatment the school provides.

The Jefferson School, a program of Sheppard Pratt Health System, is a not-for-profit agency. We rely on contributions to provide students with therapeutic opportunities that otherwise would not be provided, since the formulaic funding we receive is only for basic operations. Donations allow us to meet emergency student needs for clothing, toiletries and other necessities. Your charitable gift may provide vital supplies and equipment. Financial contributions make creative new programs possible -- programs that our students require to achieve competence and success.

How Can You Help?

You can help children move beyond the pain and difficulties of behavioral health problems and learn to succeed. Give a thoughtful donation to the Jefferson School Fund or our Capital Fund (Building projects), or give to the Lapera Memorial Scholarship Fund. Or dream of how you’d like to help current and future Jefferson School students by planning a Legacy Gift so your dreams may become real through your will and estate planning.

Your Gift to any of our Funds makes you an active participant in lifting up children with severe problems who need our hope and help.

Leadership Gifts of $10,000 or greater, $5000 and $1000 bring you Special Recognition and Fellowship Opportunities with others in the Jefferson School and Sheppard Pratt family. Often there are ways to match your interests and ideas for children and young people with your gift to the Jefferson School. Your creativity may help us to shape new options for care. Please contact Dr. Michael Priester at 240-315-0283 or email him at Mpriester@thejeffersonschool.org to discuss.

Philanthropists are old, young and anywhere in between. They vary greatly in their ability to give. Yet they share generosity of spirit, vision, caring and thoughtfulness. If you’ve read this far, you are philanthropic! Please take the next steps to help children and young people at the Jefferson School -- they truly need your help.

Our Funds

1. A gift of any size to the Jefferson School Fund helps meet unmet student and program needs. This unrestricted fund’s flexibility allows creative, responsive solutions to emergency student needs and changing program priorities.

To give online, click here: Give Online to the Jefferson School Fund.
Or send your check made payable to ‘The Jefferson School Fund’ to:

Director’s Office – Development
The Jefferson School
2940 Point of Rocks Road
P.O. Box 9
Jefferson, MD 21755

2. You may support the Capital Fund to provide for needed building expansions. Please send your check made payable to ‘The Jefferson School’ to the address shown above, and write Capital Fund on the memo line. Online giving is not yet available for Capital Fund Gifts.

3. The Peter Anthony Lapera Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for Jefferson School graduates (and high school graduates who attended Jefferson) to pursue education beyond high school, including college or technical training. This Memorial Fund was established to honor the memory of Peter Anthony Lapera -- a gifted, successful Jefferson School student who showed great compassion and care for his fellow students. Young Mr. Lapera died as he began freshman year at college. Lapera Scholarship awards consider each applicant’s strengths and the anticipated mental health benefits the scholarship award would provide. We hope to award Lapera Scholarships to both Jefferson School students and more young people in other Sheppard Pratt programs once this Fund grows sufficiently.

To give online, click here: Give Online to the Lapera Scholarship Fund.
Or send your check made payable to ‘Lapera Scholarship Fund’ to:

Director’s Office – Development
The Jefferson School
2940 Point of Rocks Road
P.O. Box 9
Jefferson, MD 21755

4. Your Legacy Gift – through your will, bequest, or other planned giving instrument –will provide state-of-the-art behavioral health care for children who need it now, and those to follow. Quakers Moses Sheppard & Enoch Pratt established Sheppard Pratt, which built the Jefferson School in 1996. These compassionate business leaders abhorred the asylums of the 1800’s where many mentally ill were abandoned. Moses Sheppard believed that the mentally ill deserved care and comfort, and that they would improve with kind treatment. He devoted his wealth to make this happen. Enoch Pratt joined Sheppard by providing the rest of the funds necessary to complete building the hospital in the late 19th century – building was delayed during the Civil War. Since then, Sheppard Pratt has grown and led the way in state-of-the-art behavioral and mental health care.

Tell us your Charitable Goals for Jefferson School students. We will help you work with your estate planning professional to shape you philanthropic desires for children who need your help and care. To learn more about Planned Giving, please contact Dr. Michael Priester at240-315-0283, or email at mpriester@thejeffersonschool.org.

Thank you for caring about children and young people at the Jefferson School.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Michael Priester, Residential and Educational Program Director
240-315-0283
mpriester@thejeffersonSchool.org

The Jefferson School
2940 Point of Rocks Road
P.O. Box 9
Jefferson, Maryland 21755
240-315-0200

Sheppard Pratt Health System
6501 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21285
410-938-3000

As a program of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Inc., the Jefferson School utilizes the secure online giving capability provided by Sheppard Pratt Health System. Funds given for the Jefferson School are maintained and managed for the sole and exclusive use of the Jefferson School and the purposes described herein by the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Foundation, Inc. As a program of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Inc., the Jefferson School is a charitable 501©3 organization. For information about or to receive copies of audited statements, please phone 410-938-4020. Information may also be obtained from the Office of the Maryland Secretary of State.