Letter from the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement
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ratitude. After such a strange, unpredictable, turbulent and often troubling year, gratitude is the word that comes to mind as I review the list of donors who continued to support Saint Francis High School through the 2019-20 year. Of course, the 2019-20 year started normally enough, with Friday night football games in the fall and a festive Christmas at Our House celebration in December 2019. But everything changed in early 2020 as word came of the coronavirus spreading rapidly through communities nationwide and worldwide. In March, Saint Francis pivoted to remote learning, and we have all been working to adapt to an ever-changing landscape ever since. In the midst of all this, and natural disasters and social and political unrest as well, the Saint Francis community not only held fast, but stepped up to support those in need. Our #GivingTuesdayNow campaign last May generated $328,000 in new gifts and pledges to support students, educators and families in this trying time, effectively tripling the support we had traditionally seen for giving day efforts in prior years. What a remarkable testament to the generosity and caring of our community for one another.
While much care has gone into compiling the information in this Annual Report, we realize mistakes happen. Please let us know about any inaccuracies, so that we may correct them. advancement@sfhs.com
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Saint Francis High School | www.sfhs.com
As we enter 2021 and continue to wrestle with the pandemic, there is light on the horizon. We all hope to be back on campus full-time in the coming weeks and see a return to normalcy sometime this year. In the meantime, as we look back at the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020, I cannot help but be heartened by all of you who have made gifts to support our mission of providing a high-quality, Holy Cross-centered education to our students. It is thanks to your support that we have been able to sustain the core elements of a Saint Francis education through thick and thin and will continue to do so for generations to come. Thank you, thank you, thank you. In gratitude,
Paul I. Lanning, EdD, CFRE Executive Director of Institutional Advancement