Giving to St. Mary School

• Alumni News
  
• Development News
• 140th Anniversary Year Events
  

  August 26: 140th year Kick-Off at the Opening School Liturgy and Commissioning of Teachers September 16: 3rd Annual Walk-A-Thon October 14: 50th Bi-Annual Spaghetti Dinner, Fall November 17: Feast of the Presentation Liturgy December 15: Advent Program January 29: Catholic Schools Week Liturgy, 5PM. Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, Presider February 17: Grandparents Day March 23: St. Joseph Liturgy. Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Daly, Presider April  27 & 28: ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND featuring an Open House/Family Fun Night and Gala at the Elk's Lodge May 4: 50th Bi-Annual Spaghetti Dinner, Spring May 11: Mothers’ Day Prayer Service and Brunch June 13: Last Day of School; End of the 140th Anniversary Year

  
  

We want our alumni, alumni families and parish friends to be a part of this exciting year! The Development Committee is looking for CLASS AGENTS to get in touch with former classmates to obtain current mailing/email addresses. If you would like to be a part of the team or just have some family names and addresses to share, please contact Vicki Campanella, Development Director, at vcampanella@stmarygilroy.org

Due to the rising costs of maintaining quality programs, Catholic schools continually face new financial challenges. Today Catholic school educators and leaders share the responsibility to establish funding formulas that ensure the viability and survivability of our institutions. Almost every Catholic high school and many Catholic elementary schools have established and expanded school Development programs. The Development Program at Saint Mary School was established in 1989. Its primary goal has been to tell the "success story of Catholic schools" and to raise the awareness of the enormous contributions our school has made to the Gilroy community.

Clearly, Development is more than raising money for the future of our school. It is about building relationships with people who will share the good news of Saint Mary School. Based on that definition, every parent, friend, alumni and donor or Saint Mary School is involved in Development.

There are currently funds in place for building the future of our school: the Endowment Fund, housed at the Diocese of San Jose; and funds established through the Gilroy Foundation. Several means exist to contribute to these funds: gifts of cash through memorials and donations; gifts of stocks and bonds, matching gifts through companies with established programs, gifts of real estate, bequests, tax exempt charitable trust and personal life insurance. Most often, gifts are given through the Annual Fund (held in the Fall each year), through participation in Endowment fundraising activities (Nite Golf and Alumni Basketball) and donations (including memorials intended to honor deceased family or friends) sent specifically for Endowment


What is Endowment?: An Endowment is a permanent fund that is restricted, the principal of which is reserved. The funds are invested and a determined percentage of the portfolio is used for the purposes restricted by the endowment. --In our case, tuition assistance and scholarship. Endowment s a way to create an everlasting legacy for donors and their heirs and to tenable our school to weather the challenges of fluctuations in enrollment or sharp increases of costs that may come our way.