Author: SFA Editor

We hope that you have all had a prosperous and happy autumn season. It has been busy for both the school and parish and we are thankful for the many blessings that our engaged and thriving community continues to provide to everyone of us.

Our community is very committed to the importance of a new St. Francis of Assisi Elementary school.  Upon recognizing that we needed more support than what our dedicated volunteer parents could provide, we went through a public, competitive hiring process and engaged the services of one of our school parents who has an extensive background in Corporate Communications to serve as the Campaign Director. We also hired Compton Fundraising Consultants to assist us in the next stage of the planning and preparation process.

As the first stage of the planning, the consultant has now met with 22 different people from our parish and school community to seek feedback and guidance on the project. We are very thankful to those who participated and wish to thank them again for both their time and their candor. This information has proved invaluable.

We have just received Compton’s report earlier this week and are currently deliberating on their recommendations. We will get back to you no later than the end of January with a summary of their findings, recommendations and the next steps that St. Francis of Assisi intends to take regarding the building of our new school.

With Blessings to you and your family over the Season of Advent,

Blessing,

Father Gino and Mrs. Yam

Our community desperately needs a new 21^st century school in which to educate the students of St. Francis of Assisi school. Last year we faced an unexpected delay due to changes at the city, however,  we are poised to proceed with the planning of our Capital Campaign to raise the funds required to see our new school become a reality.

As was previously communicated in June, we have hired Compton Fundraising Consultants to help to steer our campaign and have now entered an active planning phase for the months of October and November.  Our first task was to hire a Campaign Director to commence work on October 1^st to work alongside Compton. After a competitive application process, we are pleased to announce that Barbara Broughton, Grade 5 & 1 parent has accepted the role. Barbara has over 20 years of corporate communications, public relations and project management experience in various roles in Canada, the UK and the US. During the last year, she took on an active volunteer role with the school and parish.

During the next two months we will work to develop the overall strategy for the Capital Campaign including timescales and campaign target and determine how this will connect to the sale of the parish properties. As part of developing this strategy, we will be contacting a small group of parents and parishioners to provide their insight and seek their guidance.

Stay tuned. By mid-November we will have a further update for you.

Blessing,

Father Gino and Mrs. Yam

Dear Parents and Parishioners

As we conclude a busy school year at St. Francis of Assisi, our volunteers, PEC and building committee continue to move the new school building project forward.

We have been in active discussions with several City of Vancouver departments including Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability, Development, the Parks Board, Buildings & Licensing as well as direct meetings with some City Councillors. These important steps have resulted in the positive feedback that senior staff at the City of Vancouver support our new school build at the current location and the rezoning of the adjacent convent site. This is a significant achievement given that the City Planning office has been in a state of transition – following the last civic election – with many new staff this year under a new Mayor and many new councillors. We will be meeting with the General Manager of Planning and senior staff again this summer to develop a clear plan of the required next steps. We have also had several meetings with the Archdiocese to keep them up to date regarding our progress and they remain supportive of our project.

Considering these important advancements, we feel the time is right to commence a formal strategic fundraising plan during the 2019/2020 school year. We have hired a local Vancouver Fundraising Consultant effective September 2019 to help us reach our fundraising goals. Sarah Howard is the Managing Partner and President of Compton Fundraising Consultants and worked with both large and small campaigns for over 20 years. She has experience in both the Education and Faith-Based sectors such as Collingwood School, Christ Church Cathedral School, St. Paul’s Foundation and Covenant House Vancouver. This was a competitive bid process that began this spring and has been reviewed and approved by the Archdiocese. Welcome Sarah!

In addition, we will require a full-time commitment from an individual within our school and parish community to work directly with Sarah. The ‘Campaign Director’ role will be a paid position to be recruited this summer so that the successful candidate can begin work in September. If you or someone you know is interested in this position, please see the link to the Job Description here.

We wish you the most joyful and restful summer.

With Blessings,

Jodie Sussex and Father Gino