History
The Point Loma High School Pointer
Association, the sole adult fundraising
organization supporting PLHS, is a merger
of three organizations each of which
supported PLHS in its own way. In order to
understand our mission and goals it is
important to remember our history.
PL Foundation +
Point Loma 2000 + PLHS Alumni
Association
PL Foundation
The high school’s original foundation
primarily raised funds for classroom
gifts and grants to help
teachers do a better job for our
community’s kids. In good years, these
gifts and grants totaled in the tens of
thousands of dollars and were a resource
quite valued by the faculty and staff. The
current PLHS Annual Golf
Tournament has its roots
with the Foundation.
Point Loma 2000
A separate community-based organization
called “Point Loma 2000” was formed in
1994 to raise money for major capital
improvement projects at
the school. It raised about $400,000 in
its six-year history. The lockers
in the 300 building and the outdoor
seating in the quad were
two of this group’s more visible projects.
PLHS Alumni Association
The Alumni Association, founded in 1976,
performed the traditional role of helping
alums to connect (or re-connect) with
their school and their classmates, and
served as the custodian of the school’s
memorabilia. They collected and maintained
a database of
alumni contact records for more than 30
years. The original alumni association
also started our annual scholarship
program for graduating seniors.
The Merger
The challenge of merging these three
organizations – each with its own history,
agenda, budget and funding sources, style
of doing business, and significant
organizational ego – extended over several
years. It was not easy, as you might
imagine. But finally it was all done in
the year 2000
PLHSPA
And very shortly
thereafter, the school formally designated
the newly combined PLHSPA
as its sole adult fundraising
organization. Clearly,
the school’s leadership and administrative
staff benefit from the streamlining and
convenience of having a single point of
contact for all school-related adult
fundraising activities.
At the time of the merger, the first
PLHSPA President, Pete Wheeler, observed,
“Working separately, the three groups
have accomplished much. Working
together, there’s no limit to what we
can do.” The PLHSFAA
Board works hard to remain true to the
original goals of each of our founding
organizations as we fulfill our Mission:
“To develop and provide the resources
for enhancing the educational
environment of Point Loma High School,
with a goal of building Pointer Pride
for generations past, present, and
future.”
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