Giving Back: The Squires Family

When Fred and Stephanie Squires P’22 enrolled their daughters, Amelia and Madeline, in Friends Select School for kindergarten, they started a thoughtful tradition that was rooted in their family’s values.

Since 2009, at the start of each school year in which their daughters were enrolled, Fred called Friends Select’s development office to make the Squires’ contribution to the Friends Select Fund. “We decided right away to make a commitment to Friends Select,” said Stephanie. “Fred decided to make it a first-day-of-school ritual, right along with taking first-day-of-school pictures, and it became something he looked forward to every year from kindergarten onward.”
    
Although Fred passed away in December 2022, he left a legacy of giving back that his family is proud to preserve. “Philanthropy was always at the forefront for Fred. It is one of the lessons that he left with us to carry on, and we’re so grateful for that,” Stephanie said. “We made the commitment to give to Friends Select because of the amazing experience that the girls had there from kindergarten to high school graduation, and we’re happy to be able to continue that tradition into the future.”  
   
“I looked forward to Fred’s calls each year. He always asked about my family and plans for the school year, and was always a caring listener,” said Christine Jefferson, Friends Select’s chief development officer. “It was always evident through our conversations that for Fred and Stephanie, as well as Amelia and Madeline, Friends Select felt like a family. There is so much joy in their giving.”  
   
Because of their daughters’ profound experiences at Friends Select, Fred and Stephanie were also generous with their time. Both frequently volunteered or visited the school, and Stephanie served as a class representative, co-vice president of the Family Association, co-chair of the annual auction, and an admission office ambassador. “Friends Select was a very special place for our family. Fred loved walking through the hallways of the school and talking to all the teachers—the faculty members and staff are unparalleled,” Stephanie said. “Seeing the girls’ relationships with their teachers and the friendships that they’ve made throughout all of their years there has reinforced that giving back to Friends Select is a priority for our family.”
    
Now a sophomore in college, Madeline is studying neuroscience for pre-med with a minor in Spanish at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is a member of an a cappella group, the Penn Glee club, and the Sigma Delta Tau sorority. Amelia is on a pre-law track, studying government, and is exploring her interest in Spanish and religious studies at Franklin & Marshall College. She is on the tennis team and is a member of Chi Omega sorority.     

The selfless generosity their father instilled in them is a value Amelia and Madeline now carry into adulthood. “We really understand the importance of giving back to places that have helped us so much. We are able to go to the colleges that we wanted because of Friends Select and everything we learned there through all of our years,” said Amelia. “I think it’s so important to show how thankful you are to the places that have helped you.”

Madeline added, “Friends Select has been such a big part of our lives. Our family gift each year is symbolic of the impact it’s had on us and how we would like to give back to the school.” 

To make a gift to support the Friends Select Fund, please Email or Call Molly Mullahy P'33, director of the Friends Select Fund and constituent engagement.