John Paul II Catholic High School announces tech-adventurous funding-raising goal of $99,000 via Crowdtilt
For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2012
Contact: Serena Moyle
(850) 509-4021
John Paul II Catholic High School announces tech-adventurous funding-raising goal of $99,000 via Crowdtilt as part of $676,000 May 1 goal
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Sister Ellen Cronan, Principal of John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee, Florida, considers it her duty to be technologically current with the social media that her students use on a daily basis. This tech-savvy principal of the only Catholic high school within a two hour radius of the capital city, announced today that Crowdtilt – http://tilt.tc/jp2 — the newest resource in online fundraising, will be used to raise $99,000 by April 9, Easter Monday, for her school. Crowdtilt, a social media platform which converts pledges to dollars once the tipping point or goal is reached, will take Sr. Ellen’s goal to a national audience.
Sr. Ellen Cronan shared, “In concert with my board of directors, we’ve decided that the big and caring hearts across the entire Catholic community, across the United States and abroad, should know about our goal and be energized to give at http://titl.tc/jp2 during this Lenten season.”
It has been an extraordinary few months for Sr. Ellen. Ever since the school’s birth in 2001, the diocese has generously supported the school through its growing years. Now the time has come for John Paul II to take on the challenge of becoming fully self-funded. In January, the school’s board of directors embarked on the herculean goal to raise $676,000 and to increase enrollment by 9% by May 1st. To date the school has raised $451,000. If the school is successful with Crowdtilt, they will still have another $125,000 to raise in the last three weeks of April which they plan to do through second collections at local churches and other more traditional fundraisers. Of course, the beauty of Crowdtilt is that people can continue to donate even after we reach our tilt goal, right up until the end of the campaign.
“Our situation is one that is faced by too many Catholic schools throughout the nation,” Sr. Ellen said, “Catholic schools have established a standard of academic excellence and service for generations of students, Catholic or not. Unfortunately, we can no longer assume that Catholic schools will always be here. We realize that in order to provide Catholic education it is necessary to chart a new course based on financial independence. This new model challenges all supporters of Catholic education to step forward with generous support.”
Board Chair Eric Grant stated that, “We came into this effort with a purpose: We believe that a Catholic education should be available to all families regardless of financial ability, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. In the past three months, through the incredible generosity of our local community, we’ve raised $451,000 and increased enrollment for next year by close to 10%. We have been truly blessed. ”
“When we meet our Crowdtilt goal,” Mr. Grant continued, “we will be another step closer to ensuring our tuition rates stay affordable and we continue to provide one of the best educations this city has to offer. By using Crowdtilt we will expand our circle of friends to include Catholic alumni nationwide who know the power of a faithful education, and who will be willing to help us successfully complete this campaign.”
The Crowdtilt Campaign’s first viral effort will be to promote “Pot O’ Gold Day” urging friends and family to donate $17.00 on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. School families and alumni are urged to share the campaign via email, text, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to friends and colleagues.
One of the most fervent supporters and founders of John Paul II is the Most Reverend John H. Ricard, SSJ, Bishop Emeritus of Pensacola-Tallahassee, who, when he learned of the campaign remarked: “Catholic education has, for generations, been a path to success and achievement for Catholic families and others who have sought a quality education for their children. It is a very important means of reinforcing our belief in the Gospel and endowing future generations with the lessons of faith. With this new fundraising goal in mind, the current board of trustees of JPII shares the vision of the founding families of the school. I hope and pray this mission will continue to bear fruit.”
John Paul II (www.jpiichs.org) is a fairly new Catholic high school founded in 2001 in Florida’s capital city. Already the school has produced alumni that make the Catholic population proud, including graduates at Duke University, Boston College, Columbia, the United States Naval Academy and many other prestigious schools. The school is led by the Sisters of theApostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and touts a 100% graduation rate and SAT scores higher than any public school in the city.
