Frigid temps and snow can’t stop students from setting new record Raffle total

Schools break old record and raise $1.2 million through the Catholic Schools Raffle

For Immediate Release
Contact: Raina Lojovich, 651-490-0170 or raffle@catholicunited.org

ST. PAUL, MN – Frigid temperatures and record breaking snowfalls didn’t stop Catholic school students and staff from setting a new record fundraising total in the Catholic Schools Raffle. As millions of snowflakes flew through the air, students sold over $1.2 million worth of raffle tickets, making this the most successful year since the program began in 2009.

Since January 11, students attending 89 Catholic schools in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota have been selling $5 raffle tickets as part of the Catholic Schools Raffle, a fundraising program provided free of charge by sponsor Catholic United Financial. (A complete list of participating schools is available at www.catholicunited.org/raffle.) Catholic United provided all promotional materials, raffle tickets and prizes for the program at no cost. Participating schools keep every dollar raised during the six-week ticket selling period, which ended February 24.

On March 5, the Raffle officially concluded with a prize drawing ceremony streamed live on the Catholic United Financial website. During the broadcast, the grand total of $1,217,135 was revealed to an ecstatic audience. That total is nearly $50,000 more than the total raised in 2018. Now in its tenth year, the Catholic Schools Raffle has raised more than $8 million for Catholic schools in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The record breaking total was announced by former Minnesota Viking Matt Birk, the event emcee. A strong supporter of Catholic schools, Birk served as the raffle prize drawing ceremony emcee during the live online broadcast of the event.

“Even with numerous school closings due to poor weather and some delivery delays with tickets, our schools rose above the challenges that winter threw at them and came through,” said Harald Borrmann, president of Catholic United Financial. “We’re so pleased with this outcome. This total demonstrates the outstanding work and commitment of the schools’ families and staff that make Catholic education possible throughout the school year. That’s what we really want to celebrate.”

As an extra selling incentive, sponsor Catholic United gave $3,000 grants to the top performing schools that sold the most tickets per student: St Thomas Aquinas School in International Falls, MN; St. Agnes School of Osakis, MN; and St. Scholastica HSC Academy in Isanti, MN. Catholic United also rewarded the top classroom at each school with all the pizza they could eat, and the top selling student was awarded a new Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker.

Winners of the raffle prizes announced during the March 5th ceremony which included a new 2019 Chevy Trax SUV, vacation and travel packages, iPads, smart TVs and more, with a combined value of more than $40,000. A complete list of winners will be posted to the Catholic United website after winners have been verified.
Funds raised by participating schools are used to enhance school programs and facilities, including funding field trips, building playgrounds, supplementing tuition costs and providing new education technology.
Video, photos and a list of prizewinners and results are available at www.catholicunited.org/raffle.

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About Catholic United Financial
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 75,000 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.

About Matt Birk
A native of St. Paul, Matt Birk is best known in Minnesota for the decade he spent in a purple Minnesota Vikings uniform (1998-2008), earning several awards and six Pro Bowl appearances. In 2009, Birk signed with the Baltimore Ravens, a career move which culminated in a 2012 Super Bowl championship. Birk retired from professional football in 2013. Birk is now a professional speaker, consultant and CEO of Matt Birk and Company. Birk also promotes youth sports through 4HG, a movement to create a healthy sports culture in Catholic schools (www.4hg.co), of which Catholic United Financial is a sponsor. A practicing Catholic, Birk resides in Mendota Heights, MN with his wife and eight children.