Large Bequest Funds Scholarships

Play Mountain Place is pleased and honored to announce the largest donation in its history designated exclusively to fund scholarships for Play Mountain Place students.  Director Judy Accardi accepted a check for $100,000 from Margaret Rosenau (known as Heidi Rosenau when a student from 1973-1979), a bequest from her late father, Jim Rosenau.

Margaret Rosenau (left) and Judy Accardi (right) hold the $100,000 bequest.

It came 40 years after Jim had started a $10,000 scholarship endowment fund for Play Mountain Place in memory of his wife, Norah Rosenau. Norah died in a car crash only a year after the family moved to Los Angeles and enrolled Heidi at Play Mountain Place. Interest from the original scholarship fund has helped with scholarships for over 40 years and this new, large bequest will be able to support scholarships over years to come.

The Rosenau family has been strong supporters of Play Mountain Place for all the years since they discovered the school, with both Jim and Margaret regularly sending financial contributions. In the 1980s, Margaret served on the Board of Trustees.

Margaret said, “It is hard to find adequate words to express what Play Mountain Place has meant to our family for the last forty years. Play Mountain Place was an essential place of stability and support for my father and I after the sudden loss of my mother, and we leaned heavily on and benefited hugely from the support the community provided. One way the community supported us was by organizing the painting of a mural in the alley in memory of my mother. It was repainted several times and in 1994 became a mural for all mothers who have passed on in the PMP community.”

Jim Rosenau

She continued, “It was of no surprise to me that my father left a large bequest to Play Mountain Place in his will, because his love for the school never wavered. I too have made a bequest in my will for the same reasons.”

“The huge loss of my mother has shaped me and my life in so many ways. [It] is impossible to imagine what my life would have been like if my mother had lived, and equally impossible to imagine what my life would have been like without Play Mountain Place. I am so grateful for the gifts Play Mountain Place have given to me and to so many others over the last 65 years. I know that my father established the scholarship fund and gave his bequest to it so that the gift of Play Mountain can be more accessible [for years to come] to children and families who might otherwise be unable to attend.”

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Play Mountain Place is very thankful to Jim Rosenau for his bequest. This type of support is absolutely critical to the success of our scholarship program, and deeply meaningful to families who will benefit from the support of tuition assistance.  As you know, our school is a unique and uncommon place in the world. This bequest is a powerful affirmation of the values and mission of our school. Because of the extraordinary and longstanding support of families like the Rosenau’s, we remain a living, breathing model of child-centered, play-based and experiential learning, respectful communication and conflict resolution, and peaceful, non-authoritarian parenting. It is our deep hope that you will also show your support and belief in our mission by donating today.

 

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