Endowment Giving

“We need to be good stewards of the land. Our future depends upon it.”

“Now the Fields Are All Four Lanes.” Concerned that farmland—critical to the world’s food supply—is being lost to development, alumni parent Dr. Janet Brown and her late husband, Dr. William Brown (parents to Jen '95 and Kim '99), knew that education held the key. While they were in medical school, the couple lived on Jan’s family farm during summers. Money was extremely tight, and the farm was their food security.

Jan’s visit to Roots Farm brought her hope. With Director of Roots Farm Sharon Hood’s infectious enthusiasm and creativity, the farm had something to offer students from prekindergarten to twelfth grade and beyond. With a curriculum that integrates science, math, and health with observation and collaboration, students were working to solve problems that farmers encounter. They see first-hand how their food is grown and why farming is critical to our survival. McDonogh was founded to offer young boys care, education, and farming skills to better prepare them for success. Now McDonogh has come full circle, back to those “roots.”

Jan established The Jan and Bill Brown Family Roots Farm Fund to support the Roots curriculum because she felt it was an ideal way to give back in a quiet, direct way. Her hope is that McDonogh students will share their understanding of the farm’s importance with others. “After all,” she says, “we need to be good stewards of the land. Our future depends upon it.”