"Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, rooted in Sacred Scripture and centered on the Eucharist, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School embraces the values of Education, Faith and Citizenship.”
The Lake Michigan Catholic School Fund continued its mission to support Lake Michigan Catholic (LMC) Schools, successfully increasing the Fund’s corpus by 21% through a variety of fundraising efforts in 2020 and 2021.
Recent fundraising initiatives include the 40 Days for Catholic Education campaign, which raised $800,000 for the Fund’s endowment. Donations to an endowment are added to the corpus and reinvested to help the corpus grow. With this financial growth, the LMC School Fund provides subsidy to Lake Michigan Catholic Schools to support operations and special projects. This amount totals nearly $7 million since 1971.
“The ‘40 Days’ campaign focused on two of LMC’s greatest areas of need – tuition assistance and instructional support,” shares Fund treasurer Kurt Marzke. According to Marzke, generous matching gifts from the DaDan/McEvoy and Monte families were instrumental in the success of the campaign. Donors contributed $500,000 to the DaDan/McEvoy Tuition Scholarship Endowment Fund; Sam and Connie Monte donated $150,000 to the Global Trading and Finance Lab; and Tony and Jackie Monte’s gift of $150,000 provides ongoing instructional support for the finance lab.
Annual support and regular giving are also important. John and Kathy Curtis have supported LMC in many capacities throughout the years, including gifts to the Fund. “Our three children attended Lake Michigan Catholic, and we now have grandchildren there,” shares Kathy. “We’ve experienced first-hand the academic excellence, religious education and opportunities available to our community year after year,” John adds. “We know how important the schools are and we’re proud to be part of the Laker family.”
“The generous, sacrificial giving of alumni, families and the community demonstrates their commitment to Catholic education” says John Proos, President of the LMC School Fund. “We appreciate every contribution, and employ every dollar to make high-quality Catholic education even more accessible. On behalf of the Fund, thank you to everyone who supports our mission.”
Since 1969, the nonprofit Lake Michigan Catholic School Fund has generated direct financial support for area Catholic schools. Independent from the diocese, parishes and schools, the Fund is a 501c3 nonprofit that exists to aid Lake Michigan Catholic Schools in St. Joseph, MI.
For more information about the Lake Michigan Catholic School Fund, please contact Angela Bell, Advancement Services Manager, at [email protected] or 260-403-6142. Donations can be made at https://www.lmcadvancement.org/donate.