Walsh 500 and More...

It has now been three months since we kicked off our Walsh 500 campaign and our attempt to obtain the commitment of 500 donors willing to donate $1,000 to the school each year for five years. To date, we have received close to $400,000 in 5-year pledges ($80,000 annually) and another $26,000 in one-time donations. All in all, 162 people and businesses have contributed to the drive in the last 12 weeks, pushing us to about 18 percent of the total goal of $2.5 million.

Unfortunately, Walsh 500 dollars are showing their first signs of tapering off since the campaign began back in March. To help put some life back into the campaign, we plan on using the rest of the school year (graduation is Friday, June 27) to continue to make personal phone calls, write to some of our key alumni and probably send out another mailing. If the money begins to come in at the pace it did in April and May, we should be making it into the next year.

In other news, many parents of our current seniors came together and agreed to donate $300 per family for parking lot repairs before graduation. Most of the senior families are participating, and we've raised enough to patch just about all of the potholes as you make the turn into Walsh off 24th Street. The paving company came by last week to clean out each of the holes and will be returning this Saturday to fill them in.

Also, the alumni newsletter, Walsh World, will be sent out this week and it contains more information on advancement and recruitment, a letter from Fr. Barry, as well as information on this year's Reunion. I know many people have been wondering when the Reunion is going to be held, and the answer is Friday, Aug. 1 right here at the school. The event usually runs from 6-midnight and, as I've stated before, we will hopefully be having a golf tournament the next day. There will be more information about both in the newsletter.

Again, please consider making a donation to the Walsh 500 as try to make sure the school makes it into next school year, and many more school years thereafter. God bless.

J.P. '03