|
VIII
The “Raise the Roof” Campaign
Expands the School
he
“Raise the Roof” Campaign was a stunning success. Co-chaired by
Dennis Kurgansky and Carol Will, the campaign drew great guidance from
those inside the parish, like architect Peter Murr, contractor Sam Mirabile
and engineer Ron Maylor, and outside foundations committed to the city. The
A.S. Abell, France-Merrick and Weinberg foundations each made a donation of
$100,000, but individuals, as well as institutions, were just as impressed
with the spirit of the campaign. William Donald Schaefer, the former mayor
of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, accepted the offer of St. Francis of
Assisi school board president Victor Fuentealba to serve as honorary
chairman. A campaign that began in October 1995 with a goal of $400,000
concluded in March 1998 with donations of nearly $900,000. The families of
the parish themselves directly accounted for more than $327,000 in
donations and matching gifts. Sr. Judith Gallen, SSJ, was our principal and enthusiastically supported our project. The doors to the third floor opened in the fall of 1997. On January 4, 1998, in the middle of winter, St. Francis of Assisi was blessed with a perfect, spring-like day for the official ribbon-cutting and dedication, presided over by Bishop P. Francis Murphy.
“It was a dream,” Carol Will said,
“that became a reality. Sandy Budd and Vincent Quayle brought in the
Abell Foundation. It was the first time in its history that it made a
donation of that size to a non-public
school.”
