San Diego Family Donates $5 Million to Monarch School to Help Build New Campus

April 25, 2012 - PRLog -- Monarch School, the San Diego public K-12 school for children impacted by homelessness, received a generous $5 million donation from Nat and Flora Bosa toward the building of the school’s new campus. The state-of-the-art school, to be located just south of Petco Park at 1625 Newton Avenue, will be dedicated in the couple’s honor as the Monarch School Nat & Flora Bosa Campus.


“An investment in the children of our community is the best investment I could make,” said Nat Bosa, local philanthropist and CEO of Bosa Development. “Monarch’s students are just like any other children and yet they face challenges most of us cannot even comprehend. They deserve a school facility that can give them the tools they need to succeed. My wife and I are thrilled to be a part of the Monarch School family and to help these children and our community break the cycle of homelessness.”


Nat Bosa founded San Diego-based Bosa Development Corporation more than 40 years ago and has delivered tens of thousands of new homes to communities spanning the continent. He is a development industry leader known for forward thinking, integrity and quality, and he and his wife are lifetime philanthropists supporting education and the arts.


With an estimated 15,870 homeless students in San Diego County, according to the San Diego County Office of Education, Monarch’s new facility will greatly increase the school’s impact in the area.


“We are so thankful for the substantial and generous donation from Nat and Flora,” said Erin Spiewak, CEO of Monarch School. “The Bosa family’s contribution is an extraordinary gift to the future of Monarch School’s students. The entire Board, staff and all of our students couldn’t be more thrilled to begin a new chapter in a facility where these children can truly prosper.”


Monarch’s current campus is only 10,000 square feet and past capacity with 150 students and 45 staff members daily. Each classroom operates two grade levels with services like eye exams and tutoring held in the middle of the hall/lobby. The only outdoor area, a minimal 5,000 square feet, is used as a catch-all for the cafeteria, gym, playground, auditorium, study hall and more.


Monarch School’s new Nat & Flora Bosa Campus will allow the school to serve more than 350 students daily and will be home to separate classrooms for each grade level, computer and science labs, a library, literacy and tutoring centers, a health center, a gymnasium and more. The new site also provides ample space for playgrounds, outdoor recreation areas and a student garden.


The donation pushes Monarch closer to completing its Capital Campaign for the massive remodel of a 51,000-square-foot old office space. The project began with a ground breaking in February and the Monarch School Nat & Flora Bosa Campus is expected to be completed in early 2013. To learn more about the school or ways to support its efforts, visit www.monarchschools.org.
             
About Monarch School:
Founded in 1988, Monarch School, located in downtown San Diego, is a public K-12 school exclusively for students who are at-risk and impacted by homelessness. Monarch School represents a unique public-private partnership between the San Diego County Office of Education and a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization. Today, 150 students between the ages of 4 and 19 are enrolled. Monarch School’s committed team of educators, support staff and volunteers is dedicated to providing homeless children with an accredited education while caring for their basic needs. Monarch School broke ground on its new Nat & Flora Bosa Campus in downtown San Diego in February 2012 and is expected to complete construction in early 2013. For more information, visit http://monarchschools.org or call (619) 237-7678.