#BuildSFA Update June 2019

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