With more than 86 percent of its goal having been reached by mid-January, the 44th-annual Catholic Courier/Catholic Charities Christmas Appeal is bearing down on its target total of $50,000.
As of Jan. 16, the 2013-14 appeal had raised $43,188.40 since it was launched Nov. 1, 2013. That figure has already eclipsed last year’s final amount of $40,264, with still over a month to go. The appeal concludes Feb. 28.
“We’re excited that we’ve surpassed last year’s total. We’re still hopeful we’ll reach our goal, which has not been done in several years,” said Donna Stubbings, appeal coordinator and circulation manager for the Catholic Courier and El Mensajero Cat√≥lico newspapers.
A significant boost is anticipated from the appeal’s third-annual Bowl-A-Thon, set for Feb. 22 at L&M Lanes, 873 Merchants Road, Rochester. Three games of bowling and shoe rental are included in the $20 entry fee. To register as a team or individual, and for other details, call 585-529-9530 or contact Sam Oldenburg at soldenburg@catholiccourier.com.
The appeal also received solid support — $973 in all — from the third-annual ROC the Day, an online fundraising event that took place Dec. 11 to benefit local nonprofit organizations.
Stubbings further noted that an anonymous donor is contributing $10 for every new Christmas Appeal donor — and that total could be substantial, due to the emergence of many first-time givers in 2013-14. Stubbings emphasized that any donation, no matter how small or large, will help the appeal toward realizing its goal.
Christmas Appeal money benefits the emergency funds of various Catholic Charities and affiliated agencies throughout the Diocese of Rochester. Appeal funds are used all year long to help meet the basic needs of people facing short-term financial crises who aren’t eligible or haven’t yet qualified for other forms of aid.
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Editor’s Note: To contribute to the Christmas Appeal, download and print the mail-in donation form.
