What is community? At one level, community is functional, denoting a physical location — a place that defines us and our place in the world. This could be our school, our neighborhood, our city. At another level, community is emotional, denoting a feeling that is a byproduct of the choices we make to affiliate and associate with each other. We make these choices, in turn, based on a wide range of factors, such as ethnicity, sexual orientation, or profession. These kinds of community form our identity and evolve over time. Examples include the Hmong community, the LGBT community, and the educator community.

Community can assume different meanings, depending on context. At Bruce Vento Elementary School, however, there is only one meaning of community, and that meaning is "friend." The evolution of the school environment would not have occurred without the support of dozens of friends. These are the individuals and organizations tethered to Bruce Vento and its people by the fundamental belief that a nurturing environment does positively influence child development and educational outcomes. Collectively, the friends of Bruce Vento contributed their time, talent, and treasure to fully realize one simple goal: help children’s resiliency emerge.

The following organizations’ compassion and generosity made an indelible mark — not simply the physical transformation of the Bruce Vento school facility and grounds but an impact on the children and educators that inhabit it daily; and the families, neighborhood, and broader community that support it.