Annual Giving

Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference. And, the best way to make a difference in the life of a child is through education. Education is the best way to help reduce poverty. Education expands economic development. Education will help boost individual income. Education increases our chances of living a healthy lifestyle. Education promotes gender equality. Education promotes peace. Education helps to eliminate crime. Education promotes the development of life skills. Education leads to a lifetime of learning. Education bolsters abstract thinking. Education is one of the most important investments we can make in our children and their future.

Investing in quality education brings the highest returns from individuals, societies and countries. Children who have access to quality educational programs do better in primary school and will have better education outcomes later. It is vital that we invest more in our children's education.

At St. Ann, it is vital that all of us invest more in early childhood, elementary, and middle school education. Providing families a quality education is the reason the St. Ann Annual Giving drive is so important to the future of our children. Our mission statement tells our story. "Our mission is to provide a Catholic education through faith, service, and love." If we want to continue to fulfill our mission, annual giving has to be successful.

We have many families who are able to pay full tuition, but not as many as you would think. We have many who struggle, stretch their budget, and sacrifice to be able to give their children a Catholic education. And, we have many who no matter how much they stretch their budget, cannot afford to pay full tuition. That's why we do everything in our power not to increase tuition. That is why we are leading the charge to find a way to make Catholic education affordable to all. And, that is why the annual giving campaign is important to St. Ann.

Here is a break down for overall giving to St. Ann for last year and this year. Last year's goal was a very modest goal of $30,000. Knowing that we need to work hard to keep tuition steady, we set a very high goal for St. Ann in overall giving for this year. We are nearing our goal but are behind in St. Ann families participating as well as in alumni giving. As I've mentioned before, without alumni support, private schools will not survive. We will not survive because tuition will have to increase to the point that only a handful of families will be able to afford to pay.

You will also notice on our giving spreadsheet that in-kind donations are over half of the giving. The in-kind donations come from supporters to pay for school improvements and enhancements. The in-kind donations go to support a particular ask such as speakers, chess boards, tripods, security cameras..... We have asked and you have responded in kindness. Thank you.

The donation spreadsheet does not cover Vision money, Home & School fundraisers, and Fall Fest.

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We are still in need of a few more donations to help with the purchase of the knowledge bowl team buzzer system. Contact our school office if you are willing and able to help with this purchase. If we do not budget for an item, we may not purchase it. It can only be purchased through in-kind donations. After working in non-profit for thirty years, I have learned to be very frugal with other people's money.

Some of the donations are earmarked for specific items or even departments such as band or physical education. We honor the donor's designation of gifts. If the donor does not designated the recipient of a gift, we earmark that towards annual giving. That's our favorite donation because we use those donations to help us balance the budget. Just like any business, we have to balance our budget.

A friend of mine in Dallas taught me a lot about fundraising and business. He would tell me that as a non-profit, every time I send out any type of communiqué, an ask should be included. Without raising funds, non-profits would not exist. Much like a for-profit business, if you don't make the sale, you'll soon be closing your doors.

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Support St. Ann

With that being said, here's my ask for this week's blog. If you have not participated in our annual fund drive, please consider a gift of $100 to St. Ann Catholic School. Without support from our families, friends, and community, the affordability of an education at St. Ann will continue to exclude families wanting a Catholic education for their children. Being a Catholic School, we need to be inclusive and not exclusive.

I do want to clarify a misconception about scholarships. Please think of scholarships as financial assistance. We do not give scholarships in the form of merit (scholastic or athletic). All scholarships are awarded on the basis of need. The average family receiving aid this year is headed by a single parent with two children in school, and have a yearly income of approximately $35,000. In the past, scholarships were awarded for other reasons. We want to be accountable and transparent to our donors who give to help families in need. If we award financial aid to families who can afford to send their children to St. Ann, we would be doing an injustice to the donors' wishes.

Student Update:

Dominic Podesta has been training with Bartlett ATA since he was five years old, starting in the the Tiger program. At the age of seven, he aged out of that class and had to test for his next belt. Normally, you get either an orange or yellow belt and then go into the lower rank class. He tested out of the lower rank class and earned his camo belt, which only two other children had  earned in the last twelve years. For the past two years, Dominic has been in the higher rank class earning his belts. He started competing in tournaments for one and a half years. This year, he finished the tournament season earning 1st and 3rd places at nationals in Orlando, five state titles, and will be going to districts in Atlanta to compete in eight events. He also recently earned his 1st black belt!

Cassie Harmon has had a big year as a dancer. On April 6th, she competed at Revolution Talent Competition West Memphis Regionals to qualify for Nationals. Her seven groups did very well with several high awards and top 5 ranking. Cassie's solo took home 3rd place overall in intermediate junior soloist age 9-11, 1st place in contemporary category intermediate age 10, and a platinum score award winner. On the weekend of the 27th, Cassie represented Dance Dynamics Memphis. Seven of her eight dances earned platinum scores and placed in the top five rankings in their individual overall line ups, multiple category winners, and a special outstanding choreography award. She won several first place honors for her age group in junior soloist and contemporary category. She place first out of thirty-one entries in her solo division. Next up for Cassie are two shows at her end of the year recital for Dance Dynamics Memphis taking place at Briarcrest High School on Saturday, June 8th, at 1 and 6 pm. The performance is free and all are welcomed to attend. She finishes the 2019 competitive season at Revolution Talent Competition Nationals in Pensacola, FL, June 24th-28th, Good luck Cassie and keep us updated on your progress.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School