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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 9, 2017
Contact Michelle Clark, 651-765-6555, mclark@catholicunited.org
St. Paul, Minn. — The raffle barrel has rolled, the tickets have been counted, the dollars collected and Catholic schools have exceeded all expectations! The 82 schools participating in the 2017 Catholic Schools Raffle have raised a record total of $1,066,450, revealed on March 9 at the Prize Ceremony in St. Paul, MN.
This is the fourth year in a row that the combined effort of Catholic school students, families, and staff produced a fundraising total in ticket sales and donations exceeding one million dollars.
The Catholic Schools Raffle is an annual fundraiser involving Catholic schools in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Students were responsible for selling tickets at $5 each from Jan. 13 to Feb. 26.
Catholic schools from as far west as Rapid City, South Dakota to up north in Virginia, Minnesota were watching eagerly as the Raffle prize ceremony was broadcast live online on March 9. The top three performing schools were announced during the ceremony and each will receive an additional $3,000 grant to award their outstanding effort. The top performing schools this year were: Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School of Richmond, MN; Holy Cross Catholic School of Marty, MN; and St. Scholastica HSC Academy in Isanti, MN. Students at Sts. Peter and Paul School sold an average of 78 tickets per student, the highest average recorded in Catholic Schools Raffle history. The school that raised the most dollars in 2017 is St. Francis of the Lakes School in Brainerd, MN with a total of $52,455 raised.
Every dollar raised by the students stays with the schools thanks to sponsor Catholic United Financial. Participation in the Raffle is free to the schools, because Catholic United covers all costs for the prizes, ticket printing and promotional materials. The schools provide the volunteers, energy and creativity to make the most of the six-week program.
Winners of the prizes, valued at more than $40,000 total, were also announced live on March 9. Prizes this year included a brand-new 2017 Jeep Compass, vacation and travel packages, tickets to a Twins game, iPads, Amazon subscriptions, gift cards and more. A list of winners will be posted to the Catholic United website after the verification process is complete.
Sponsor Catholic United also rewarded the hard work of top-selling students. The top-selling student at every school won a new Kindle Fire tablet computer, and the top selling class won a pizza party.
The Catholic Schools Raffle and Catholic United Financial have raised more than $6 million dollars for Catholic schools in Minnesota and the Dakotas since 2009.
Catholic United Financial is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that has served Catholics in the Upper Midwest since 1878. The company provides life insurance and retirement products for its 80,000 members, and returns a portion of its profits to local communities through programs like the Catholic Schools Raffle, Post-High School Tuition Scholarship, Gather4Good service events, and more. Based in St. Paul, Minn., Catholic United helps its members plan for every step of their life journey.