FROM THE DIRECTOR:
Dear Friends,
Four years ago, I sensed after twelve years of teaching in schools, that the Spirit was awakening in me a vision for something new. I saw the current educational system leaving so many behind in a mad rush to pack information into the minds of the young, while neglecting the experiences that truly inspire and call forth their gifts. Absent was an education that places imagination, creativity, and friendship on a higher level than mere information gathering; therefore, I founded Riverside, an Outpost for Imaginative Learning. Since then we have witnessed a growing community of families gather round this idea and support our mission. Our hallmark program, The Riverside Tutorial, has doubled in size over the last three years.
Inspiring imaginations is what Riverside does. The poet William Butler Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a pail but a lighting of a fire.“ At the last Riverside Gathering in November this year, an evening of vision casting for our young organization, I spoke to our community about the importance of the imagination in learning. I used the image of the lantern held by the journeyman, who is on an adventurous pilgrimage to heaven, as a symbol of that which inspires, reveals, and enables.
We at Riverside are wholly dedicated to this mission: Imaginative Learning experiences for boys and girls that awaken in them a desire to learn and discover their gifts. Though our main goal is to provide an adventurous landscape of learning for boys, we offer co-ed programs as well and they continue to grow. At Riverside, it is our passion to awaken the imagination and this spirit of adventure- to find and provide creative ways to educate the young.
Your support of Riverside is important – will you consider financially supporting us? Click here to donate now. Riverside is a 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions are tax-deductible for income, gift, and estate taxes.
We are a small non-profit and your financial help goes a long way. Your donation will not only allow us to continue to expand and grow our current programs, but you will have the opportunity to impact educators, along with boys and girls, across the country. Even now we are working with our community to develop imaginative learning resources, products, and new exciting programs that we believe will inspire many.
The season of Advent is a time that calls upon our Imaginations to enter into the great mystery of Christmas – to imagine that night when the Light came into the darkness to lead us to our heavenly home. We pray that your homes will be filled with the one, true Light this Christmas.
We are thankful that the Riverside community shares a spirit of prayerful adventure, and we hope you will join us both through prayer and financial support of our mission. 2016 was an amazing year for Riverside because of you. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Peter Searby
Founder & Director
Riverside Center for Education
An Outpost for Imaginative Learning
