The annual Catholic United Financial Catholic Schools Raffle began Jan. 11 and is now at the halfway mark. The organization also has announced that Super Bowl champion and former Minnesota Vikings center Matt Birk will be the master of ceremonies at the prize drawing ceremony on March 5.
“The support Catholic United Financial continues to provide for Catholic education and students throughout the tri-state region is phenomenal on many levels,” Birk said about the partnership. “With the assistance of this outstanding organization, our Catholic faith is strengthened and propagated in our homes, church communities and population at large. It is both an honor and a privilege to play a small role in this awesome celebration of Catholic schools.”
Now in its 10th year, the Catholic Schools Raffle has raised $1,068,385 in the Diocese of St. Cloud alone, according to a press release. Participating diocesan schools hope to add $177,000 to that total this year. The $5 tickets are available for purchase through Feb. 24.
Money raised from the Raffle allows schools to provide tuition assistance, update their technology systems, or cover the cost of special learning opportunities like hosting a guest speaker or taking a field trip.
The prize drawing event will be live-streamed on March 5, starting at 11 a.m. The three top performing schools will be announced during the event and will each receive additional grants of $3,000 each. The ceremony broadcast can be viewed at www.catholicunitedfinancial.org/raffle.
Participating schools within the Diocese of St. Cloud include:
Holy Family School, Albany
St. Andrew Catholic School, Elk River
Sacred Heart School, Freeport
St. John’s-St. Andrew’s School, Greenwald
St. Scholastica HSC, Isanti
Mary of Lourdes School, Little Falls
Holy Cross School, Pearl Lake-Marty
St. Mary’s Catholic School, Melrose
St. Mary’s School, Morris
St. Agnes School, Osakis
St. Henry’s Area School, Perham
Sts. Peter & Paul School, Richmond
St. Francis Xavier School, Sartell
Holy Family School, Sauk Centre
St. Mary Help of Christians School, St. Augusta
St. Wendelin School, St. Cloud