Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School (Lakewood, CO)

It takes a village to raise a child and a broad community to create a meaningful impact.

Dear Family and Friends

I am writing on behalf of our family (Brandon, Crystal, Karalina, Collins, Blake, and Burke) to ask for support for an important initiative at our children’s school. Many of may know that our kids attend Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lakewood, Colorado. Many of may even remember that I attended this school when I was younger.

Much like the uniforms, many things have stayed consistent over the past couple of decades. Children are still receiving an excellent education overseen by a group of dedicated and passionate teachers. Faith formation is still an integral part of their daily learning, and students can thrive in a safe learning environment with small class sizes.

However, other things that have stayed the same include the physical condition of the actual school. The school opened in 1964 and the last time it had any major renovations was back in 2007. The school’s operating budget does not include any capital improvement money, and the school is responsible for raising any money for necessary repairs. The student’s yearly tuition does not even cover all the school’s yearly expenses - the budget is subsidized by the parish and Archdiocese.

Despite these challenges, our school through the years has always ensured our children have the academic tools and resources they need to thrive. The school is consistently investing in new academic resources and technology for our students, and the teachers attend specialized training throughout the year. Our students consistently score high in math and science and are responsible for stewardship projects that give back to the community every semester. However, any money that is raised through fundraisers or donations is usually funneled to the student’s academic and faith formation. For example, last year $50,000 was raised for new Chromebooks for the entire school.

I share all of this with you so you can understand the important initiative we are embarking on at Our Lady of Fatima. Over the past six months Principal Taylor, Father Henri and a small group of parents (me included) had been implementing a much-needed refresh of the school's main interior. We raised money for the first phase and over Christmas and Spring Break completely remodeled the main hallway in the school. This included replacing stained ceiling tiles and installing new energy-efficient light fixtures. The result was AMAZING! Please see the attached pictures for before and after images.

We want to keep this effort going and move to other areas of the school. The physical learning environment must reflect the excellent education our children receive.

PTT has decided to do only one big fundraiser this Spring. Each OLF student has been asked to fill a calendar over the next couple of weeks. We are asking our friends and family for help.

If you are able, please:

Any donation, regardless of the amount, is valuable. All donations go directly to the school and will be used solely for this initiative.

PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THIS IMPORTANT EFFORT.