FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE
JOE GORSKI Vice President for Advancement
28
ALUMNEWS
— FEBRUARY 2006
As I sit in my office writing this issue’s column, the weather is unseasonably warm.The temperature has already reached 61 degrees and may yet go higher.The Thanksgiving holiday is now a recent memory and the season of Advent is upon us. Christmas, and the celebration of the birth of our Savior, is less than four weeks away. It is a season for spiritual preparation, contemplation and thankfulness. As always there is much to think about and much for which to be thankful. First and foremost on my list, I am thankful for my family—my wife Betsy, son Nicholas and daughter Alexandra—for their love, understanding and constant encouragement.They make sure I keep everything in proper perspective. I am thankful to the members of the Society of Jesus and the positive impact their philosophy and spirituality continues to have on my life. I am thankful for the opportunity of coming to work each day at Xavier, a place and an enterprise that gives meaning and satisfaction to my workday efforts. I am thankful for my co-workers—faculty, administrators and staff—whose care and love for our students and one another is an example to the community and the world at large of how best to live one’s life. I am thankful for, and indebted to, the greater Xavier High School community—alumni, parents and friends—for their continued dedication, generosity and involvement in ensuring the success and continuation of Xavier’s mission of educating the “whole” student and marking them forever as “Men for Others.” I am grateful to Debbie Ryan who spent the last five years at Xavier as Director of Annual Giving. Debbie has moved on to the position of Associate Director of Development for the New York Province of Jesuits. During her five years in the Advancement Office, she did an outstanding job in both friend raising and fund raising. Her friendship, dedication, knowledge, advice and courage will be very much missed and we all wish her continued success in her new position. I am grateful for the dedication, enthusiasm and hard work of the Advancement Office Staff—Norma Piecyk, Administrative Assistant to both Fr. Gatti and me, Barbara Ciulla, our Office Manager, Helene Strong, Parents’ Association Coordinator and Data Base Manager, Loual Puliafito ’00, Advancement Officer and Mike Benigno ’00, Director of Alumni Relations.Their consistent efforts guarantee the success of the Advancement team. I am grateful for, and want to welcome, the newest member of the Advancement Office, Eric Lamar Rivers, the new Director of Annual Giving. Eric is a 2002 graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC and comes to us from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, where he has served in several positions, most recently as Manager, Knowledge Management. He has been involved in raising funds for the support of the Annual Legislative Conference, a six million dollar fundraiser. He has solicited corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals to achieve the foundation’s goals. He has a strong background in our non-profit software, Raiser’s Edge, and in financial planning and analysis. Since joining us in midNovember, he has been a very positive addition to our team. I know that all of you have many similar reasons to be thankful. I am sure that each of you is grateful, alumnus, parent or friend, for your association with Xavier High School. Whether you are an alumnus who personally experienced the benefits of a Xavier education, a parent who has seen the moral, spiritual and academic growth of your son or a friend who understands that the community, state and nation benefit from leaders who are truly men of competence, conscience and compassion, you know the vital role that Xavier plays in forming these “Men for Others.” Together, as a team, we can continue to make all the opportunities of a Xavier education available to worthy young men, regardless of economic status, and to assure the legacy and tradition of Xavier High School into the unforeseeable future. Again, thank you for all you have done and continue to do for this venerable institution.