Sunday, July 4
Celebrate St. Joseph School in the Village of Downers Grove Independence Day Parade...
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Alumni News
Class Notes
The Class of 1960 will be filling multiple tables at the September 10th Gala! They also plan to tour St. Joe's School on Saturday, followed by a walk through their old hangouts in downtown Downers Grove, and a casual dinner at the Hilton Saturday night. They will wind down their great Crusader weekend with a Sunday brunch. For more information, please contact Dave Riva, Class of 1960 Representative.
Please send your class events to the Alumni Committee at alumni@stjosephdg.org, and we will have them posted to our page.
A big thanks to all our St. Joseph School alumni and friends who are already starting to donate items to the silent auction and Gala. So far we’ve received: tickets for teachers and religious, a group Gala appetizer, a week at a fabulous resort in St. Maarten, a fun filled weekend in Galena, a Tiffany gift, a night at the Grand Hyatt, a gift certificate to the Weber Grill, and several more great items, with our list growing daily.
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Saint Joseph School of Downers Grove
Alumni & Friends
Centennial Gala FAQ
Q. I understand the St. Joseph School Alumni Committee is planning the upcoming September 10 Gala. Who makes up this committee?
The Alumni Committee is made up of current school leaders, alumni, and school-parent alumni. This committee, similar to other committees at St. Joe’s, reports directly to the School Board. For the purpose of the Gala, the Committee has more than 40 alumni actively reaching out to former classmates, parents of former students, retired teachers and religious to invite them to celebrate the school’s 100th anniversary and welcome them home to SJS.
Q. What is the purpose of the SJS Alumni Committee?
Building upon previous alumni efforts, the Alumni Committee is working to build relationships and community among all SJS Alumni. Similar to Catholic grade schools across the nation, the SJS Alumni Committee is first working to locate alumni, many of whom have not heard from our school for decades. The Committee is spending countless hours locating alumni, identifying class representatives and generating a database. We are thrilled to report this database has grown to more than 4,400 contacts, with more coming in every day. With the Centennial upon us, the Alumni Committee took the lead on inviting and welcoming our alumni and friends home to celebrate the amazing legacy that is at the heart of St. Joseph School. From CEOs to social workers, teachers to Catholic parents, our alumni have created a lasting legacy that spreads around the world. In addition to generation of the database and Gala planning, there have been two alumni newsletters and two alumni events at the Church, including the recent all-alumni Mass in March.
Q. Is everyone who may be interested in attending the Gala welcome to come?
Yes! The Alumni Committee warmly welcomes all past and present friends and supporters of St. Joseph School to attend the Gala. The Gala is first and foremost a celebration of SJS. We are welcoming everyone to come visit, reconnect with old friends, and enjoy a wonderful evening. The Gala will feature:
- A four course meal, with wine at dinner
- Emceed by alumna Marcella Raymond from Channel 9 News
- The Marchese Orchestra
- Dancing
- Silent Auction
Q. If there is fundraising at this event, why is there not an opportunity to offset St. Joseph families’ Development Commitment?
The ticket prices are intended to cover the cost of the Gala and therefore, there will be no credit towards your family’s Development Commitment. In early meetings, the Alumni Committee members expressed an interest in providing ways for the alumni to offer financial support to the school at the Gala. It was decided that although the first and foremost goals and purpose of the Gala would be to celebrate our great school, reconnect with new friends, and build relationships, we would also add a silent auction. The Alumni Committee is seeking donations for sponsorships and auction items only from those businesses and supporters who do not currently provide any backing to our Development Committee and school. So far, the overwhelming majority of support has come directly from alumni, and parents of alumni.
Q. How will the funds raised at the Alumni & Friends Centennial Gala help support the school?
The funds raised specifically from this Gala will be deposited into the Second Century Fund. As you are aware, the Second Century Fund provides for current and future school needs, including tuition assistance, academic and technology enhancements, and discretionary offset of operating expenses. We are also inviting our many alumni who live all around the world, particularly those unable to attend our event, to visit our School’s new online donation button on our web site at http://www.stjosephdg.org/school/index.php to help provide support to St. Joseph School.
Q. How do I sign up to attend the event?
If you would like to attend the Alumni & Friends Centennial Gala, you may purchase tickets online. If you have any questions concerning the Gala or our Alumni Committee, please contact Sr. Dorothy Randall at drandall@stjosephdg.org, or Kathleen Buck at kvbuck0701@gmail.com.