Catholic Schools Raffle starts second decade with new drum and new record

What better way to start the second decade of a fundraising program than achieving a new fundraising record?

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

ST. PAUL, MN – What better way to start the second decade of a fundraising program than achieving a new fundraising record? The Catholic Schools Raffle did just that on March 12 when our celebrity guest emcees announced a grand total of $1.3 million raised, making this the most successful year since the program began in 2009.

Since January 17, 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 March 1.

The emcees for the Prize Ceremony on brought some gridiron grit and beauty pageant glamour to the event. Super Bowl Champion and former Minnesota Viking Matt Birk, and Miss Minnesota 2019 Kathryn Kueppers breezed through the program, bantered with the live audience and pulled winning tickets out of the brand new, 9-foot-long raffle drum — the largest of its kind east of the Rocky Mountains.

On March 12, the Raffle officially concluded with a prize drawing ceremony streamed live on the Catholic United Financial website. During the broadcast, the grand total of $1,304,902 was revealed to an ecstatic audience. Now in its 11th year, the Catholic Schools Raffle has raised just shy of $10 million for Catholic schools in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

“I can’t think of a better way to start the second decade of this program than with a new record total. All the credit goes to students, families and parish and school staff across three states, and the wonderful communities that support them,” said Harald Borrmann, president of Catholic United Financial. “Everything about this program highlights the importance and quality of a Catholic school education. Our Catholic United members value it so highly, our Board of Directors are enthusiastic supporters, Mr. Birk and Ms. Kueppers actively support it, and so it is an honor for us to show our unconditional support of Catholic education through this program year after year.”

As an extra selling incentive, sponsor Catholic United awarded $3,000 grants to the top performing schools that sold the most tickets per student: Holy Cross Catholic School in Kimball, MN; St Thomas Aquinas School in International Falls, MN; and St. Agnes School of Osakis, MN. Catholic United also awarded the top classroom at each school and the top selling student at each school with special prizes.

Raffle prizes announced during the ceremony included a new 2020 Buick SUV, vacation and travel packages, Apple Watches, 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 will be available at www.catholicunitedfinancial.org/raffle/media.

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.