Welcome to the Corner of Development at SJA
The Development office at St. John the Apostle Catholic School was founded in 2002 to help expand the base of financial support for our school through the meaningful involvement of people in our community. The Developmental Office exists to ensure the future of our legacy; to keep a quality Catholic Education accessible to all who seek it. Traditionally, Catholic schools have relied on tuition, fundraisers and a parish subsidy to support educational costs. With rising expenses and inflation, this approach is no longer feasible to cover all needs. To provide for students in
financial need and to bridge the gap between tuition charged and the
actual cost of education, SJA relies on the generosity of Foundations,
Trusts, Corporations, Parishioners, families and the community.
What other areas is the Development Department involved in?
Grant writing @ St. John the Apostle Catholic School,
we write grants annually to several foundations and trusts. Grant needs
change yearly, given the needs of SJA. In the past we have received
grants for our Language Arts Program, Science Lab, The Global Classroom,
Art, Research and Resource Library, Drama, CEEF and Tuition Assistance.
Our most recent grant from the B.P., Lester and Regina John Foundation
funded a large part of our Tuition need for SJA families.
Marketing SJA, the
Development Department creates new family information packets to assist
families in making the right choice in education when visiting SJA. We
advertise in the local newspapers such as The Oregon City News, Canby
Herald, The West Linn Tidings, The Clackamas Review and the Catholic
Sentinel. We are members of the Oregon City Chamber of Commerce and are
seen in the Metro Parent along with being rated as a top school in the Portland Monthly
magazine. The Development Department creates school brochures, SJA's
Annual report and press releases for school events. We also host several
community building events such as our Annual Open House, Grandparents
day and Pizza Bingo.
Fundraising @ SJA, the
Development Department coordinates the school fundraising events with
our wonderful parent volunteers. To raise awareness and funds, the
Development Department organizes and holds several events each year.
Development planned giving program, SJA has a Catholic Education Endowment Fund (CEEF)and encourages supporters to remember the Parish and School in their estate plans. CEEF is a perpetual trust established in 1986. Formed as a non-profit organization, CEEF provides additional growth for the SJA Catholic education programs. Contributions to the CEEF are treated differently from other contributions. These gifts are not spent on immediate needs. Rather funds are placed in an investment trust.