Keep Saint Joseph School Students Warm and Dry

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit St. Josephs Elementary School, and any donation will help make an impact.

My name is Carl and I have been involved at St Joseph School in Baltic for 25+ years, first as a parent, then as a grandparent, and throughout the years as a Knight in the local Knights of Columbus (K of C) council #2336. St Joseph School is a wonderful place where kids feel safe, get an excellent education, and are well formed in the Catholic faith. While primarily a Catholic school, we do accept and welcome children from all faiths. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

The Need

• As a small parochial school, we have struggled to make ends meet many times over the years. We have had to reach deep for important security updates, a new computer lab, and to keep up with ever-rising energy prices and education costs. Through our tried-and-true fundraising, a very active parent group, and dedicated K of C council, we’ve always managed to make things happen.

• However, this past year we were faced with replacing a 32-year-old boiler that had finally given up the ghost. The winters in CT are clearly too harsh to limp along with space heaters and we had no choice but to install a new system. In addition to that, we found that our often-patched roof is starting to leak to the point where it needs to be completely replaced and this January we were also hit with a debilitating flood that made a mess, water and mud running right through one of our classrooms!

• These bills of $90,000 for the boiler, $80,000 for the roof and $30,000 for repairs/cleanup due to the flood damage, are much higher than the amounts we are usually able to achieve through our normal fundraising activities. That is when we decided to turn to GoFundMe to reach a broader audience than our local parish, school community, and the Knights.

The Cause

• Being in rural eastern CT, Baltic was a once thriving mill town and many of the local children came to St. Joseph School. Now that the mill has burned down and local industries have changed, our demographic has shifted as well. We currently have students and teachers from 10+ different towns coming to our school. When another Catholic school in Willimantic was forced to close its doors during the COVID pandemic in 2020 due to financial constraints and enrolment decline, St. Joseph School welcomed them in and people are now driving well over 20 minutes each way to come to our school, often passing many other schools, even other Catholic schools. This is a great testimony to the quality and atmosphere at our little school.

What We’ve Done So Far

• We have tried to add new events to our fundraising calendar to help pay these mounting bills and received $40,000 in donations from the parish, parents, and the local Knights. We can really use YOUR help to raise the remaining $160,000, even it’s a small amount and we certainly appreciate your prayers!

• Please remember your own childhood and elementary school years and imagine how your contribution can help keep our young students warm and dry.

• We are celebrating the 150th anniversary (!!!) of our school this year and prayerfully ask you to consider donating $15, $150, or even $1,500 to make sure we can stay open for the next 150 years!

More about St. Joseph School

• Saint Joseph School has been open since 1874, it is an accredited school from Pre-K to 8th grade. What makes Saint Joseph School so special is its wonderful pastor, adjacent convent of the Sisters of Charity (SCMC), great staff, students, and parents! We call it the Baltic Bubble.

• Our school has religious sisters as well as lay teachers that are not only professionally prepared but are also on a mission to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ into the daily lives of our students. The bond that our staff, students, and parents share is what makes our school such an amazing family! We love our principal, Sr. Mary Patrick, who has been involved at the school as a teacher and recently a principal since 2006!

• Many changes have taken place over the years, including strides in technology as well as incorporating two world languages into our curriculum. But one thing that has not changed is our dedication to our students, where our staff provides a safe environment in a traditional Catholic setting.

• Please prayerfully consider a donation of any amount to help us keep Saint Joseph’s School a thriving place to learn and grow! Once again, we especially appreciate your prayers for our school and this fundraiser!

Thank you!