The American Montessori Society hosted a fundraising event on Saturday evening, March 26, 2011, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois. I was honored to chair this fundraiser for AMS. This lively affair, which we called “Chicago: The Musical,” raised money to support research about Montessori education and disseminate the results to the public, including parents, policymakers, child development experts, and the media. We believe that such research will play a significant role in helping individuals to understand why Montessori works and is of vital importance for students and youth of all age levels.
This was AMS’s second consecutive fundraiser to support research. Our first, held in March 2010, was a wild success—and the inspiration for the Chicago event. Guests gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts, for a semiformal soirée featuring an elegant dinner, dancing to a live band, and a live auction—and collectively raised nearly $100,000 in gross funds for Montessori research.
The Golden Bead Gala in Boston last year supported:
- Developing innovative research opportunities
- Providing enhanced Web site resources to researchers
- Funding opportunities for conducting research
- Continuing AMS Montessori research coordinator position
- Offering workshop sessions and poster sessions at conferences
- Cultivating dissertation and thesis authors
