News & Articles

Pacifica Publicly Launches Building A Home Campaign

March 8th, 2021

Purpose, direction, goodness, and belonging. In the midst of our culture’s confusion, teenagers yearn for things that help them flourish—things beyond themselves. By providing our students with a superior academic experience steeped in faith and community, Pacifica Christian High School exists to help fulfill this yearning.

As mentioned in my email of February 26, we know the Pacifica approach works and now we are able to double our impact by establishing a permanent home for generations of young people to come. In this, the second of my promised emails, I’m excited to provide a construction update and outline our financial goals for Pacifica’s Building A Home Campaign.

We started this campaign quietly with a number of close friends. I am humbled to share that this “quiet phase” generated 91% ($12,265,000) of our construction needs–an incredible feat for a school of our size and age! What a blessing our community has been in getting us to this point. Now, we seek to raise the remaining $1,235,000 needed to complete Phase I. We will simultaneously work to secure an additional $3,000,000 for the next phase–acquiring the property necessary to achieve Pacifica’s Master Plan.

It is my great hope that you will partner with us in this endeavor, helping even more young people thrive. Thank you for your continued support and generosity to this mission and to our beloved students.

With gratitude,

David O'Neil
Head of School

THE WAY HOME - Introducing the Building a Home Campaign

Through the Building a Home Campaign, Pacifica will increase the number of people we can impact. We will also create a permanent presence in the community. It will be the intellectual and spiritual home for thousands of young people to come–and hospitable and inviting to the larger community for visits, guest lectures, and performances for all.

Our way home is achieved by:

1. Providing dedicated facilities to enhance all aspects of Pacifica’s program;
2. Reaching ideal enrollment to strengthen programs and school culture while impacting more lives and achieving long-term economic viability; and
3. Owning the school’s facilities to eliminate mortgage and lease burdens thereby allowing Pacifica to annually invest more money into our student programs, faculty, and financial assistance. Additionally, ownership provides the school with the capacity to move quickly and decisively in achieving our long-term campus Master Plan as opportunities arise.

PHASE I - A HOME FOR LEARNING & FORMATION

In 2017, generous supporters helped Pacifica purchase our new building at 1499 Monrovia. The two-story building, just 40 yards west of our current campus, allows us to double our enrollment while expanding academic offerings and community experiences.

During Phase I, which is currently underway, we are transforming the building into the new home for the Pacifica experience. From here, we will have a permanent place to prepare future thinkers, creators, and contributors for lives of faith and work in every sector of life.

Phase I Budget - $13,500,000

This budget was increased to provide additional funds to expand the outdoor deck and cover additional building enhancements. The deck–whose increased size was recently approved–overlooks the Pacific Ocean and will be a key social area and community gathering point. Indoors, the building is being transformed into a beautiful space, designed to adapt to our community’s needs. Our seven Learning Studios, three STEAM spaces, two Bio/Chem labs, Learning Commons, and Ocean View Terrace will provide spaces for student learning, spiritual formation, and community engagement.

Since demolition began in earnest two weeks ago, the construction site changes daily, if not hourly. Watching the progress is a reminder to me of God’s perfect timing and His abundant provision. So that our entire community may share in this joy and wonder, we have created this web page dedicated to 1499 Monrovia where you can view architectural renderings, learn about our design strategy, and watch the transformation unfold in real-time.

Phase I Gifts & Pledges - $12,265,000

This is all being done with our community’s gifts and pledges received to date. I have had the joy of personally receiving these on the school’s behalf. Each gift includes a beautiful story. And, as I reflect on the people who have generously and sacrificially donated, I recognize their united desire to do good and to participate in transforming and educating this generation.Each moment, and each story, has been significant, and I cherish each of them. I will briefly share one with you here.

A Beautiful Story - One of Many!

Our campaign began with great strength in the fall of 2018. A few individuals and family foundations made early and significant commitments ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000. These initial gifts provided the necessary leadership and significant momentum that allowed our then three-year-old school to raise nearly $9,000,000 over the next two years.

In August of 2020, six months into a global pandemic, the campaign had slowed, and we were months away from receiving our building permits. It was late on a warm Friday afternoon as I shared my discouragement with a few Pacifica trustees over a Zoom call. Rather than give in to despondency, our trustees reaffirmed our mission and closed in prayer seeking God’s favor. As I clicked the little red button (that we have become all too familiar with this year) to end the call, my cell phone rang. On the other end was a dear friend and long-time Pacifica supporter. There is an incredible story that follows from this call, and one day over coffee I will share with you all of the miraculous details. For now, suffice it to say, this call resulted in a $3,000,000 lead gift from Mr. Harold Brown.

Mr. Brown is a successful businessman with no children. He is the son of Rosalee and Harold Rae Brown who moved to our country seeking a better life for their family. And through a foundation lovingly named after his dear parents, Mr. Brown is actively investing in medicine and education to help others. Pacifica has become part of that work. As such, we will honor this generous lead gift by naming the new campus as The Rosalee and Harold Rae Brown Learning Center, after Mr. Brown’s late parents. Mr. Brown’s act of humility, self-sacrifice, and significant generosity for the good of our school–a place no one in his family attends–and our community is worthy of remembering.

This is just one of many stories that have moved us close to completing Phase I of the campaign. We are not quite done, nor will we stop–we will soon move into Phase II.

PHASE II - A HOME FOR CREATIVITY AND COMPETITION

Phase II of the Building a Home Campaign will transform our current campus at 15th Street into a center for athletics, arts, and worship. Flowing immediately from Phase I, this phase will provide our students with distinct spaces to train, compete, create, and worship. Phase II will consist of several distinct funds dedicated to this goal. Over the next several years, we will share details about each of these projects. The first of these, the Strategic Ownership Fund, is outlined below.

The Strategic Ownership Fund - $3,000,000

Phase I of the Building a Home Campaign only covers the costs associated with remodeling and equipping Pacifica’s new learning center at 1499 Monrovia, but it was not designed to satisfy all ownership and operational costs. Therefore, we are creating the Strategic Ownership Fund. It allows us to own 1499 Monrovia outright, which is a priority for two strategic reasons:

1. It provides Pacifica with the funds necessary to move quickly in achieving our long-term facility Master Plan, most notably our desire to purchase our current property on 15th Street; and
2. It immediately allows Pacifica to annually invest more money into our student programs, faculty, and financial assistance, not to mention save hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest payments.

Throughout Phase II, we will significantly enhance how we train well-rounded student-athletes and student-artists to create and compete at the highest levels. Additionally, the Triton Event Center will experience a final remodel, expanding its capabilities as the center for campus life and worship, Bible teaching, and the home of Triton Athletics!

INVITATION FOR IMPACT

I invite you to continue with us in prayer and financial support of this worthy and important mission. Considering all we have experienced in the past 12 months, it is more imperative than ever that Pacifica exists and that we marshal the resources necessary to teach students to think and live well—for their flourishing, the flourishing of the world, and our Lord’s glory.Together, we will provide this transformational education to more and more students and equip Pacifica to be a nationally recognized leader in Christian schooling.

As you watch the new building take shape, know Pacifica’s appreciation for your support to get us this far–but know too, we are not done. We believe the Pacifica community can be a blessing to our larger community; first to its next generation, but also to all those who visit our campus, participate in our worship services, learn from our guest speakers, enjoy our performances and competitions, and receive our acts of service. We invite you to help Pacifica bless others. With construction already underway, we must immediately finish our fundraising for Phase I and begin Phase II without delay. I welcome the opportunity to discuss in greater detail our story, our progress so far, our vision for the future, and how you can be involved. I hope you will connect with me at [email protected] or 949-887-8070.