San Juan Bautista
– Organizers are hailing Sunday’s
”
Bring Back St. Francis
”
fundraiser as a success, thanks to a last-minute rush to
purchase tickets for the dinner dance event.
”
We had quite a few more people come than we were expecting; it
was wonderful,
”
said Bev Holthouse, retreat coordinator.
San Juan Bautista – Organizers are hailing Sunday’s “Bring Back St. Francis” fundraiser as a success, thanks to a last-minute rush to purchase tickets for the dinner dance event.
“We had quite a few more people come than we were expecting; it was wonderful,” said Bev Holthouse, retreat coordinator.
Ticket sales alone netted the retreat roughly $18,000, said Business Manager Ed DeGroot, and the retreat received an additional $37,000 from supporters who were unable to make it to the event.
“This is really a great start,” he said. “We still have to raise between $2 and $3 million, but we’re really excited right now.”
The event was held to make the first steps toward recovery for the Catholic retreat, three months after the main building of the campus burned down in an electrical fire. The Flint-Bixby Ranch House was a 150-year-old Victorian that served as the administrative center for the retreat as well as the housing quarter for the friars. Although firefighters and Franciscan brothers were able to save some of the artwork, crucifixes and religious artifacts housed in the building, hundreds more were consumed in the fire. Even worse, a statue of the Madonna that had mostly survived the inferno was stolen just a few weeks after the fire.
In addition, all of the retreat’s records and payroll information were destroyed in the blaze, and staff have had to recreate their calendar for the year by hand.
The evening was hosted by Cindy Williams of “Laverne and Shirley” fame, who has long been a friend of the retreat; sponsors donating $1,000 or more were invited to a special reception with Williams before the dinner.
“I think people really got a kick out of Cindy Williams, being able to visit with her and see that she’s ‘just a people,'” DeGroot said.
Though retreat staff are still tying up loose ends from the event, they are also brainstorming about what the next big fundraising effort will be.
“It will probably be in the spring, and probably be a little different from this event,” Holthouse said.
On the planning side of things, DeGroot said a contract had already been issued and he would be meeting with a civil engineer today to discuss preliminary plans, including where the new structure will be located. The site of the Flint-Bixby House has been cleared, but may not end up being the new location for the building.
“We’re looking at other alternative sites around the retreat,” DeGroot said. “We have to look at geological factors, utilities, that sort of thing.”
DeGroot has said in the past that the building will probably be created in an architectural style similar to the rest of the buildings on the campus, and that ensuring it is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient is also a priority.
For more information about how you can help rebuild the St. Francis Retreat call 623-4234 or visit www.stfrancisretreat.com.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
