Fundraising Events

Fundraising Events 2019-20

While our fundraising events took on a new form in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were still able to successfully raise funds thanks to the resilience, creativity and generosity of SHC’s community of supporters. SHC extends its gratitude to all who made gifts to the Spring Gala, the 30th Annual Walkathon, and #1DayIrish. Event sponsors are acknowledged throughout the Honor Roll, appearing in their respective giving-level categories. We are thrilled to share these exciting highlights from each of the events.

WALKATHON

SHC students inspired the entire community by raising a school record of $245,000 at the close of the 30th Annual Walkathon on September 18, 2019. We set an ambitious goal, and with the help of family and friends our students surpassed it. Proceeds from the 2019 Walkathon supported the renovation of the De Paul Lobby, student scholarships, and student travel grants.

SPRING GALA: LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

SHC’s Virtual Spring Gala: Lights! Camera! Action! was held from March 28 to April 3, 2020. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, our community came together for our first-ever online gala event, raising $203,000! Our premier community-wide fundraiser hosted by the SHC Parents Association helped to raise essential funds for the completion of the De Paul Lobby Renovation Project and to meet the increased need for student scholarships during these challenging times.

#1DAYIRISH

#1DayIrish, SHC’s Annual Day of Giving, was a huge success. Held on May 13, 2020, the day was filled with opportunities for community building and celebrating our collective Irish Pride! Virtual reunions were held throughout the day, along with fun throwback videos, messages from our community on social media, and an Ask Me Anything session hosted by Instructor of English Jim Jordan. The event raised nearly $40,000 benefitting student scholarships.

$502,280 EVENT REVENUE

Fundraising events held throughout the year are a wonderful opportunity to create community while raising essential funds for SHC students.

BAY SCHOLARS: A PARTNERSHIP IN TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION

Clint Reilly (right) with a Bay Scholar student from SHC

Bay Scholars, an organization dedicated to supporting promising, low-income students with transformative, four-year scholarships to Catholic college preparatory high schools, has long supported Sacred Heart Cathedral’s mission. Founder Clint Reilly’s own upbringing was the main source of inspiration for the organization, which provides scholarships to students “who shine academically, engage actively in society and demonstrate outstanding promise and a willingness to give back to their communities.” His father, Joe, a Berkeley Farms Creamery milkman and father of 10, understood firsthand the financial requirements needed to provide a Catholic education for his children. Clint himself was a scholarship recipient as a student at Bishop O’Dowd High School, and never took for granted the life-changing opportunities that came from a high-quality Catholic education. Bay Scholars, which Clint and his wife, Janet, founded in 2007, is an expression of their gratitude for the Catholic education Clint received. Providing the same opportunities he received as a high school student to bright, low-income students today, Clint hopes to create a clear pathway to college and a fulfilling, service-oriented life beyond. SHC Vice President for Advancement & Enrollment John Gumina ’91 describes the Bay Scholars model which relies heavily on relationships created with its beneficiaries, “Bay Scholars do more than simply send a check — they do an excellent job of getting to know the beneficiary schools and each individual scholar — which is incredible, considering they have hundreds of students across many different Bay Area schools.” Scholars regularly report on their experience as they navigate their four high school years, and each year they connect with the organization at annual speaker series events, Bay Scholars sponsored college tours, and an annual benefit luncheon. “Clint and Janet have the ability to build these wonderful relationships with the scholars — at their speaker series events, I’ve witnessed our students walk up to them to give them hugs. Bay Scholars students understand that there are actual people behind their support, and those relationships really help them take ownership over their education,” Gumina says.

$4.5 million

was allocated to financial assistance for 2019-20 enabling SHC to offer a high-quality Lasallian Vincentian Catholic education to those who seek it.