Advancement

Michael O’Hara is the Director of Advancement . His children have attended CCA since 2010

This past summer my wife Rebecca, our youngest daughter Clover, and I took a big trip. Our first flight to JFK Airport was canceled so we missed our connecting flight from JFK to Dublin. Even though we missed out on our first day in Ireland, we were determined to push on with a trip that was ten years in the making. We caught both flights the following day and were successfully able to adjust our schedule for the remainder of the trip.

Driving on the “wrong” side of the road, on the “wrong” side of the car and using my left hand for the manual transmission was a bit of an adjustment, but we made the drive from Ireland’s east coast to our 100 year old AirBnB in the quaint town of Doolin, on Ireland’s west coast. My wife is a photographer, and Doolin was a short drive to the Cliffs of Moher, where she had a photoshoot scheduled the following day. A special treat for me was to travel down narrow (very narrow) country roads outside of the small village of Aclare in County Sligo. The hunt was on for the ruins of Belclare Castle where my O’Hara ancestors lived in the fifteenth century. And, I may or may not have proven the myth wrong by climbing the remaining tower and it not falling on an O’Hara. Amazingly, the small countryof Ireland has over 30,000 castles. In fact, the owner of the castle we stayed in near Galway gave us a tour and explained something I want to share with you. Irish law allows owners of historic sites to improve and build on the property but only using the original foundations already in place. The only limit an owner has are the possibilities the original foundations provide. As Christian Central Academy soon approaches its 75th anniversary, we are revisiting and evaluating the foundation our wonderful school laid so long ago. It has been encouraging to observe the wisdom and faith of our school’s founders in basing the function and mission of CCA on God’s truth, which will always stand true, regardless of how the culture around us changes.

During our trip to Ireland, I was reading through 1st and 2nd Chronicles. Each chapter highlighted leadership change, along with a proclamation whether the new king “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord’ or not. In each of these chapters, it seems as though the basis of the proclamation was whether or not the king restored the temple of God. Even though the temple was obviously not the same as scripture, or the theological or philosophical beliefs of the nation of Israel, it served to unite the people of God and focus them on what set them apart from all the nations around them. That being, their allegiance and submission to the one true God and His plans for all the inhabitants of earth. So, it was no wonder that it resonated with me when CCA’s Advancement Assistant, Lorrin ‘LJ’ Anderson, shared what God was speaking to her heart regarding Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Nehemiah was a captive servant to the king of Persia, and he wept and mourned when he heard that the temple and the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins. Upon Nehemiah’s arrival in

Jerusalem and his evaluation of the walls and foundations, he called together the community and encouraged them that God’s hand and favor was for the rebuilding of the city walls and temple. It’s the response from the Jerusalem community that I hope you will receive as a call to action.

In Nehemiah 2:18, the community of Jerusalem responded to Nehemiah by saying, “Let’s rise up and build.” Our wonderful school was started for the glory of God and for His purposes and the foundation of those purposes are waiting for the current CCA community, close or far, to “rise up and build!” So, Nehemiah is our theme for this year’s Gala and Auction on Friday, December 9, at Salvatore’s Grand Ballroom. I hope you will join us for this wonderfully fun evening! The Gala is our largest fundraiser and feeds into our school’s Annual Fund, which strengthens the future of our school and puts a distinctly Christ-centered education within reach of more students, who otherwise would not be able to attend.

Western New York needs a Christian elementary, middle, and high school whose mission it is to help boys and girls, young men and young women, “grow in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and men,” so that they will be equipped to influence the world for Christ! Will you help to strengthen Christian Central Academy for this good work? Will you “rise up” to help us build? We’ve examined the foundations, they are solid for building upon, and I am excited about the possibilities!

Since 1949, Christian Central Academy has advanced the mission of developing young hearts and minds for Christ in Western New York. Imagine what Western New York would look like without CCA! It is up to each new generation of parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends of the school to take the baton to help sustain and position a Christ-centered education for the next generation to come.

Your tax deductible donation ensures more students will receive training from an early age to love the Lord with all of their heart, mind, and strength. As children grow at CCA, they are shaped by the loving and nurturing environment but are also equipped with knowledge, wisdom and boldness that prepares them to impact the world for Christ. Alumni carry with them the spiritual and academic lessons learned as they venture into their places of work and service here at home and throughout the world. The work of Christian Central Academy is Kingdom work, and your gift is helping us expand God’s Kingdom!

Your generosity will impact all areas of school life, including academics, athletics, the arts, financial aid, classroom updates, technology, facilities, safety, staffing, and professional development. CCA has been leading with excellence for almost 75 years, and we must be equipped and funded to do so for at least 75 years more. Our 100 year old school building, that we love and adore, has both immediate and long-term needs. Keeping a quality Christ-centered education affordable in a challenging economy will continue to be a challenge for so many families that eagerly desire what CCA provides. And, our committed staff and faculty deserve to be better equipped in an ever changing educational and cultural landscape. As you prayerfully consider your giving amount to Christian Central Academy, please consider what would be a ‘best ever’ gift from yourself. Please know that your sacrificial gift, together with that of others who respond faithfully, will have a true impact and is needed now more than ever. As a not-for-profit organization, your donation(s) between now and December 31 are tax deductible, but donations in November aid the school in its decision making, so thank you for blessing CCA with your donations as early as possible.

Enclosed in this edition of the Academy Advantage you will find a donation card and return envelope. You can select a “One-Time Gift” or help sustain the mission of CCA with a commitment to “Monthly Giving.” Donations can be made via check, cash, providing your credit card information on the donation card or online at ChristianCA.redpodium.com/Giving.

If you are of the age (72yrs+) where you are required to take minimum distributions from any of your retirement accounts, you may benefit from the tax advantages of making a Qualified Charitable Contribution (QCD) from your account directly to CCA. Even in a downturn market, donating long-term appreciated stock to Christian Central Academy may help provide you a tax deduction and eliminate capital-gains charges. CCA can provide you with our brokerage information to make such transfers easy. CCA, of course, also welcomes donations from foundations and Donor Advised Funds.

Annual giving

Thank you for your generosity!