Mission & Service
President's Letter
Dear Stanford Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to the Stanford Parents’ Club and the 2024-2025 school year at Stanford University. For those with students in the class of 2028, welcome to the Stanford family!
Following our centennial celebration last year, we are excited to continue building on our 100-year legacy. The Stanford Parents’ Club has over 10,000 members worldwide, including Stanford mothers, fathers, and guardians from over 50 countries. We have a strong culture of volunteerism and work in partnership with Stanford University to support Stanford families.
The Stanford Parents’ Club offers its members opportunities to learn, connect, and have fun. Our events and activities are separate from those of the students and take place on and off campus and online.
Join us to indulge your intellectual curiosities, connect with interesting new people, and experience Stanford in a unique way. We also look forward to welcoming new families who volunteer alongside experienced families, blending new ideas with cherished Stanford Parents’ Club traditions.
We look forward to seeing you on campus or on Zoom and welcoming you to the Farm and the Fam!
With warm regards,
Vijay Chowla
President, Stanford Parents’ Club
Who We Are
Stanford Parents’ Club is a well-established (100 years old) nonprofit organization serving 10,000 Stanford parents and guardians, worldwide. All Stanford parents and guardians are welcome to join. Membership is free of charge.
Stanford Parents’ Club is an independent 501c(3) organization, separate from Stanford University, and is run entirely by parent volunteers. Our purpose is to support Stanford families and Stanford University.
Stanford Parents’ Club is a kind, supportive and inclusive community. We look forward to extending a warm welcome to new members.
GO CARD!
Programs
We offer members opportunities to learn, connect and have fun as we build community together. Our most popular programs are these:
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Monthly Distinguished Speaker Series - features Stanford faculty, live over Zoom
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Moderated Online Communities – connects parents and helps answer their Stanford-related questions
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Bay Area Socials during NSO, Family Weekend, and Admit Weekend (as well as throughout the year)
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Zoom Welcomes, Q&A’s, Socials and Coffee Chats - engages members worldwide
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Career Closet Giveaway - provides hundreds of students with free, gently-used professional attire from parents, staff, and alums
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Volunteer Activities - engages hundreds of members, worldwide, to help support the Club, the University and Stanford families
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Donations from Members - continues our 100-year tradition of supporting Stanford student scholarships and Stanford Parents’ Club
Impact
Stanford Parents’ Club Impact:
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We engage 10,000 parents and guardians, worldwide, helping to build a warm and inclusive Stanford Community
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Each year thousands of parents and guardians participate on our online communities.
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We help answer their questions and build a more informed parent community.
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We provide hundreds of volunteers annually to help welcome thousands of families to campus during major Stanford events. We help create a warm, fun and exciting experience for families and help them with wayfinding on campus.
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We have provided over 281 student scholarships to date (2023-2024) creating opportunities for students to attend Stanford. We currently fund 3 scholarships annually, in perpetuity, from past donations and fundraisers.
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For the past two years we have provided professional attire to hundreds of students annually, through the Career Closet Giveaway Program. This helps ready students for their job interviews, internships, and full-time employment, supports their success, reduces their stress and saves them money.
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We help Stanford disseminate important information to parents quickly, through our platforms, newsletters, Distinguished Speaker Series and Coffee Chats. We also provide opportunities for parents to ask questions.
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We support Stanford Admissions by helping answer prospective families’ questions on Cardinal Quad and help provide a warm and inviting welcome during Admit Week activities.
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We help welcome and onboard new families to Stanford through Stanford Parents’ Club Welcome Zooms in summer. We also make welcome phone calls to new families, assisting Stanford Parent and Family Engagement.
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Our work supports Stanford families, Stanford University and Stanford’s Mission.