March Madness! If you are a basketball fan, it’s a great month. The State Basketball Tournament is in March and of course the NCAA basketball tournaments start in March. It’s a fun time of year if you love basketball.
March also makes me think of Fr. Roh. March 14, 2022 was the day that Fr. Roh died. Two years ago, but to me it seems like so long ago. I miss him as do many of you. He was a mentor, colleague, boss, family priest and part of my life in many ways. Mostly he was dear friend. So many memories of working with him at Sacred Heart for so many years. He was truly a workhorse and a great example to me. When he was serving as our CAO and also the pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul, he poured his heart and soul in to these two institutions. There will never be another Fr. Roh. We miss you.
This is my fourth year as Sacred Heart’s CAO. I never expected to be a principal or CAO here. When I became the CAO, adding Jenny Dunn as our Principal has been great for our school. Her experience as a counselor has been a terrific asset to our school. She is also a workhorse and pours herself into her job. We make a good team and we work well together. We both bleed green and both care very much about our school, our staff, the students and their families.
Speaking of green, an important event for the survival of Sacred Heart is Saturday, April 6. I write inviting you to the Sacred Heart Booster Auction/Fun Night held at the Roh Activity Center. The schedule is 5:00 PM Mass, 5:30-6:30 Social, 6:30-8:00 Dinner. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this night for our school. Also know you do not have to be at the Dinner to participate in the Live Auction. The Live Auction begins at 8:30 PM so come at that time if that works for you. If you can’t make it that night because you’re out of town or you don’t live in the Falls City area, you can bid on the Silent Auction from now until the bidding closes at 8:00 pm. It’s as simple as being on your phone or your computer bidding on items until the bidding closes.
Why is this event so important? 20% of our schools’ budget comes from Fundraising/Donations. This year we have budgeted $380,000. What are the ways we fund our school? Our main sources of income are assessments from our five Catholic parishes – $418,000, Distributions from Sacred Heart Foundations (Endowment) – $372,000, Parchen Farm and Other Income – $130,000, Tuition – $580,000, AND Fundraising/Donations (which includes our $135,000 Annual Fund goal) – $380,000. A huge part of this amount depends on our April 6 Booster Auction/Fun Night.
The cost to educate our students at Sacred Heart is approximately $10,000 per student. We don’t charge $10,000 tuition. Our tuition for next year is K-8 $2,800 and 9-12 $3,200. This means each student is getting about a $7,000 scholarship when they walk in the door. And other assistance is available through Diocesan and Sacred Heart income-based scholarships. How do we do this? It’s through the sacrifice and generosity of many people like yourself. We do this to keep our tuition low and affordable for our families. We do this to pay our teachers and our staff. 80% of our budget is to pay our teachers’ salaries and benefits which is typical for schools. We rely on the generosity of so many people to support our school and its fundraisers. Many of you who support us don’t have children in our school or did not attend our school. We appreciate all of you. You are helping our current families by helping us pay our bills. Thank you to all those in and outside of our community who support Sacred Heart School in their prayers, donations, contributing at fundraisers, tithing to your parish church, giving to the Annual Fund, and volunteering at Sacred Heart.
Some of my best memories of Fr. Roh is being with him at the Booster Auction/Fun Nights. He knew when to have a good time and he knew how to inspire a crowd. The hope is for many to be inspired and that we have a record-breaking night and raise $150,000. Thank you to all who have donated auction items. Thank you to those who will bid and buy Saturday night. Thank you to our Kitchen Crew and Dessert Crew for the delicious dinner that will be served. Thank you to our students and staff who help with the serving and setup. Thank you to our Bar Staff. Thank you to our Auction Crews.
