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Walsh 500 Fundraising Campaign

Source: Olean Times Herald - March 27, 2008

 

OLEAN - Archbishop Walsh has reached nearly 11 percent of its goal less than two weeks into its Walsh 500 campaign.

 

The school is asking 500 people to donate $1,000 a year to the school for five years for a total of $2.5 million. The money would provide an influx of cash for the struggling Catholic High School and provide a steady basis of funding from which the school could build, said Principal Father Barry Allaire.

 

More than 50 people have committed to the five-year pledge and 70 more have given or pledged a one-time donation, said J.P. Butler, director of advancement. Donations total about $275,000 so far, he said.

 

“We have been getting a lot of support from the community and alumni,” he said. “The first two weeks have been very good for us.”

 

The school’s Board of Trustees announced earlier this month that the school is facing financial trouble. Enrollment has been dropping over the last few years and the diocese has been phasing out subsidies to Catholic high schools. The school has to increase enrollment to at least 110 students and show community financial support by September 2008 in order to get the $256,569 subsidy for the 2008-09 school year.

 

Archbishop Walsh will close without the support of the community and its alumni, Fr. Allaire said. School officials should have a better idea of its financial situation in April, he said.

 

The school sent out a letter of appeal to Walsh parents and alumni explaining its financial situation and describing the Walsh 500 earlier this month. About 40 parents, alumni and faculty attended a meeting March 13 where Fr. Allaire and school trustees asked for community support.

 

“After the meeting, people came up to me and said, ‘This place can’t close. What can I do?’” Mr. Butler said.

 

Volunteers have been helping out in various aspects of helping the school, including soliciting donations and recruiting new students. Volunteers are still needed for a variety of tasks, Fr. Allaire said.

 

“I appreciate all that has been given so far and hope that the community continues to respond in kind, as they have so far,” he said.

 

While support has been strong, the school is still a long way from its goal, Mr. Butler said. The school needs to ensure that the momentum continues in financial support. Mr. Butler and volunteers will spend a few nights next week calling key alumni seeking their financial support, something the school hasn’t done in a few years, he said.

 

“This is something that we can’t let drop off,” Mr. Butler said.

 

Faculty have stepped up and made contact with various people seeking their support, and many alumni have requested a list of their classmates to call for financial support, Mr. Butler said. A member of the class of 1967 is seeking to get at least $100 from each member of that class, which is one of the largest classes to ever attend Archbishop Walsh, he said.

 

The school is also seeking support from area businesses and is working on putting together a viability plan to show them their donations are worth it, Mr. Butler said.

 

“We don’t want this to be a year-to-year thing anymore,” Mr. Butler said. “We want to sustain viability for years to come.”