Our Tradition, Our Future Campaign Newsletter-November 2020

Campaign Progress Report

November 2020

Greetings, friends! The last we spoke we were navigating through the end of the schoolyear amidst the most undesirable of circumstances due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

While there was no playbook to follow, Saint Joseph Academy stood out amongst the educational institutions in our community as an example of how to be agile, responsive, and efficient. Our hearts went out to students and families who were robbed of rituals like Red & White Classic, Prom, College-Signing Day, Style Show and an in-person Graduation. Even more importantly, our prayers and blessings especially remain with those in the SJA community that lost a loved one due to COVID-19.

But, in true SJA fashion, the school stared in the face of adversity and challenges, successfully transitioning back to in-person instruction for the past month. Currently offering both a comprehensive Distance Learning Program and an in-person hybrid experience, SJA continues to be an educational leader in the community. With significant investments in school’s facilities to ensure safety, along with extensive safety protocols and policies, SJA is committed to resuming as much normalcy as possible, while keeping our students, faculty/staff, and families safe.

With all of that being the primary focus of the school for the past 7 months, the Our Tradition, Our Future Campaign needed to take a temporary backseat. However, SJA is excited to now resume its efforts to reignite the excitement and momentum we had built at the beginning of 2020. We hope we can continue to count on your support and commitment to SJA’s efforts as we move forward.

I am excited to share the updates of the campaign in this newsletter and I will be reaching out to each of you in the coming weeks to discuss SJA’s progress and provide you with exciting and strategic updates that are happening on campus. If you have not yet reached a decision regarding your commitment, or have not yet documented your commitment, we respectfully ask you to allow us to address any questions you may have. We will do everything we can to help you reach a decision so that you may be recognized.

We greatly appreciate your steadfast commitment to our mission and we look forward to building a stronger SJA with you in the weeks and months ahead.

Blessings, Michael Motyl President

Total Raised $3,135,500

Campaign Cabinet Brad Wolfe ‘83 Co-chair Cassandra Wolfe Co-chair Elsa Cardenas-Hagan John Cowen Jr. ‘98 Chad Hainley John C. Ortiz Beth Pace ‘82 Pat Pace Patricio Sampayo ‘00 Nick Serafy Meme Garza ’68 Honorary Chair

Donna Barron VP of Advancement & Alumni Affairs

Progress by the Numbers As of October 31, 2020 Average Gift Number of Commitments $95,015 33

Median Gift $75,000

Campaign information and figures are intended for the personal and confidential use of the intended recipient(s), i.e. campaign donors, leadership, and volunteers, and may also contain information that is privileged. Thank you for keeping this information in confidence as we continue conducting personal meetings with donors.

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You Have Made the Difference Thank you to the supporters who have pledged so generously to the campaign thus far!

Elsa and Andrew Hagan Donna and Eric ’83 Barron Dalia and Emilio ‘72 Hernandez Mellena H. Conner & Family: Hernandez Foundation Pat & Beth ‘82 Pace Jr.; Bill ‘83 & Sheri Claudia & Pepe Kauachi Conner; Dean ‘88 & Andrea Conner Marist Brothers, USA Province Robin and John ‘98 Cowen Jr. Carina and Rafael ‘93 Munguia Margaret Hasse Cowen ‘78 Dandy Pilon and Michael Motyl Paty ‘78 and Robert Daniels Mary McNair ‘80 and David Novelli Alma ‘88 and Francisco ‘83 De La Garza Jr. Lita Ortiz  Maria and Francisco ‘59 De La Garza Sr. Martha and Rick ‘84 Ortiz Liliana and Jorge ‘84 De La Garza Serafy Family Foundation Luis A. Del Pozo Christine and Luis P. ‘94 Rhi Cecilia and Luis ‘86 De La Garza Amy Tipton William Steven De La Garza ‘69 Lorna and Juan Varela Lisa & Tomas ’80 Esteve Georgina ‘93 and Raul ‘90 Villanueva Marytere B. ‘97 and Carlos ‘99 A. Garza Maria and Pablo Vivanco Monica & Scott Greer Cassandra and Brad ‘83 Wolfe Please note: this list includes documented commitments only. Verbal commitments are documented internally but may not be published until the donor completes the Campaign Pledge Form.

Verbal vs. Documented Campaign Gifts Why is signing a campaign commitment form important?

Auditor Requirements: Major gifts are particularly susceptible to auditor review. Because of the size and scope of SJA’s campaign, and the magnitude of generosity towards this effort, it is especially critical that donors sign and date SJA’s campaign gift agreement forms. This will ensure we are able to demonstrate that all donor gift intentions have been honored.

Payment Details: The form also informs SJA how the donor would like to fulfill their campaign commitment. Informing the Advancement Office of your anticipated payment timeline will allow us to send appropriate reminders and help us project campaign cash flow.

Stewardship Instructions: Do you want your name written a certain way on donor lists? Or would you rather be anonymous? Your instructions will guide how we should honor your generosity as the campaign becomes more public this fall. Please contact Donna Barron at dbarron@sja.us or (956) 542-3581 x 302 for more information on the documentation of campaign gifts.

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Campaign Elements

In preparation for the 2020-2021 school year, SJA renovated nine classrooms on the main campus. Improvements to classrooms included floor repairs, repainting, and in some cases a complete gutting with brand new walls and ceilings. Both technology labs received significant upgrades to its interior, infrastructure, and equipment--including updated computers and a new 3D printer.

In addition, another phase of the school’s roof replacement project was completed with the area above the girl’s restroom, girl’s locker-room, and technology lab being replaced. The school looks forward to completing the remaining phases of the roof replacement project in the coming years.

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Why We Give

While COVID-19 had interrupted our efforts to continue a number of our campaign receptions which were scheduled for California, New York, and Texas. We look forward to resuming these gatherings once it is safe to do so.

We would like to take this time to say “thank you” to our hosts/hostesses of our regional campaign receptions which have occurred since the beginning of the Our Tradition, Our Future Campaign. You opened your homes to the Campaign team and your fellow alumni allowing us the opportunity to share the tremendous progress of this monumental campaign. We sincerely thank you for this opportunity.

San Antonio, TX – Margaret Hasse Cowen ’78 (January 2019) Dallas, TX – Patricia & Fernando De Leon ‘97 (March 2019) Houston, TX – Laura Graham ‘82 & Mark Musemeche (May 2019) Brownsville, TX – Fausto Yturria, Cassandra & Brad Wolfe ‘83 (May 2019) Rancho Viejo, TX – Liliana & Jorge De La Garza ’84 and Beth ‘82 & Pat Pace (October 2020) Campaign Elements

A brand new state-of-the-art security camera system will be installed across SJA’s 22-acre campus in the coming months. A security audit was completed on the entire facility and close to 100 security cameras will be installed throughout the campus. The goal was to have this completed for the beginning of the school year, but due to supply-chain issues because of COVID-19, the school is waiting for backordered items to arrive.

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