The Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association is pleased to announce that Kenora Catholic District School Board has taken the top spot for school boards and Saskatchewan has reclaimed its provincial title in the Toonies for Tuition Trophy Challenge!
Each year, a trophy is awarded to the individual school board or division in the fully-funded provinces that raises the most money per capita based on Full-time Enrolment. A second trophy is awarded to the province that raises the most money based on FTE.
For Kenora CDSB, the Toonies for Tuition campaign is about much more than bragging rights.
“The need for supporting this initiative became very apparent when attending the CCSTA AGM in Newfoundland several years ago. Since then, we have recognized the importance of this initiative,” explains KCDSB Trustee Frank Bastone. “I have travelled to other provinces and networked with fellow Catholic school trustees where provincial funding is either very limited or non-existent. Yet, we’ve heard the stories of the sacrifices that families have made to ensure that their children receive a Catholic education. These sacrifices made me all the more grateful for the funding of Catholic education in Ontario and aware of the need to assist those families that choose a Catholic education for their children.”
To meet their fundraising goals, Kenora CDSB took a multi-pronged approach.
They hosted a board-wide fundraiser in February for all staff and students. On top of that, the Board’s trustees collected a fee from all attendees at the Trustee Christmas party in December that was donated to the CCSTA’s Toonies for Tuition program. The school board also accepted donations from individual supporters such as Tom Shura who donated $2,095.72 as well as from other individuals, the Knights of Columbus and the Notre Dame Church Catholic Women’s League.
“I would like to thank our families, staff and community members for their generous donations this year,” says Kenora CDSB Board Chair Teresa Gallik. “In Ontario, we are very fortunate to have publicly funded Catholic education. Through the generosity of donations from our community, we can help students in other provinces receive the gift of Catholic education.”
Many school boards in Ontario worked in solidarity with Kenora CDSB to raise funds for their provincial neighbours. Ontario placed a close second in the provincial Trophy Challenge thanks to the champions bringing the fundraising initiative to life and the generosity of its Catholic community.
Despite Ontario’s impressive fundraising efforts, Saskatchewan edged them out to reclaim its provincial Toonies for TuitionTrophy Challenge title, raising the most money per capita of all the provinces.
Prince Albert RCSSD deserves special recognition as a key contributor to the Saskatchewan efforts.
The Prince Albert School Division has a history of supporting the Toonies for Tuition initiative. Trustee Bert Provost has Championed the cause since its inception. He ensures that at each opportunity that presents itself there is consideration for fundraising,” explains Prince Albert Catholic Schools Director of Education Lorel Trumier. “Each year the Board of Education approves the social justice fundraising activity by Board Motion. It demonstrates immediately that Catholic education is the priority of the Board of Education. In fact, the trustees feel so strongly about this matter that they are the first to make a donation. A big thank you to staff, students, parents, community stakeholders and Board of Education across Canada who have contributed to the endeavor because Catholic education is worth it!”
“Even though we were hit with the pandemic this spring, our partners in education rose to the challenge and showed incredible generosity,” says CCSTA Executive Director Julian Hanlon. “I would like to express our gratitude for the money raised. Everyone’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and will go a long way in helping families access faith-based Catholic education for their children.”
Thanks to the campaign, CCSTA will distribute over $100,000 through endowments funded by the Toonies for Tuition campaign for the upcoming academic year. This money will go directly towards supporting students’ tuition funds in partial and non-funded provinces.
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