Uplift: The Fulcrum Campaign for Catholic Education finished strong, raising an astonishing $87.4 million in seven years of fundraising for Catholic education in Western Washington.
Tony Audino, chair of the board, and Vivian Shannon, executive director, officially brought the campaign to a close at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Light at T-Mobile Park.
“It’s a true honor and joy to share this special moment with you as we sunset the campaign we’ve been working on for seven years,” Tony said to Celebration of Light attendees. “This comprehensive campaign will fuel the future. It will uplift the families and schools we serve, laying the groundwork for the future of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Seattle.” The campaign began in 2015 with the goal of raising $66 million. The campaign’s silent phase from 2015-2020 raised $47 million. The public phase from 2020-2022 raised an additional $40 million.
Uplift was a comprehensive campaign, meaning every dollar donated to Fulcrum was counted toward the fundraising goal. The meteoric success of the campaign would not have been possible without the full-hearted support of Fulcrum’s donors and the leadership of the campaign chairs.
“Working on this campaign, we witnessed firsthand the generosity of our community,” said Shawn and Kathie Hoban, campaign co-chairs. “There were so many people who made the Uplift campaign possible and to each and every one of you, we say thank you. Through your gifts, you have opened the door to so many life-changing opportunities for the students and families in our Catholic schools. Thank you for being a part of this with us. We truly could not have done it without you.”
The campaign will fund essential programs like tuition assistance and school partnership grants. It has also funded the creation of new programs like Building Leadership Capacity, the Early Childhood Education Grant Program, and the Becraft Scholars Program.
“We all have faced many hardships over the past few years,” said Vivian. “There have been many moments where pulling away from us would have been easy. But despite the difficulties and the distance, the Fulcrum community reached out and said yes over and over again. Your generosity is an inspiration and will make all the difference as we lay the groundwork for future generations.
This article is from the Fulcrum Foundation 2022 Community Report.