{"id":220,"date":"2014-08-10T20:15:35","date_gmt":"2014-08-10T20:15:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/?p=220"},"modified":"2020-01-23T09:52:03","modified_gmt":"2020-01-23T09:52:03","slug":"st-thomas-4500forever-capital-campaign-30-million-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/2014\/08\/10\/st-thomas-4500forever-capital-campaign-30-million-milestone\/","title":{"rendered":"4500Forever Capital Campaign Reaches $30 Million Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most ambitious capital campaign in St. Thomas history reaches a multi-million dollar threshold but hardly a crescendo.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 4500Forever fundraising arm to purchase the adjacent property from HISD and secure a vibrant St. Thomas future at the current 4500 Memorial Dr. address has crossed the $30 million mark, an unprecedented amount in the school\u2019s 114-year history, yet still only halfway to the ultimate $60 million goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

President Fr. Kevin Storey, CSB applauds this rousing achievement thanks to the contributions of more than 700 donors but sees the moment as more of a catalyst than a milestone. \u00a0He draws on an NBA analogy from the recent playoff season involving Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVogel said that the Pacers weren\u2019t ready to beat the Miami Heat because they first had to <\/span>believe<\/span><\/i> they could win, and then their actions would follow that belief,\u201d Fr. Storey said. \u00a0\u201cI thought that was inspirational and applies to certain members of our community. \u00a0There are people who believed in 4500Forever when we had zero dollars, when we had $5 million, when we had $10 million, regardless of the amount. \u00a0But now I see that net of believers expanding as the donations begin to add and stack on top of each other, and more and more and more contributors are getting involved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When St. Thomas won the bid to purchase the High School for Law Enforcement in November 2013, $60 million may have appeared to be a Mount Everest-type financial challenge. \u00a0But 4500Forever has gained incremental momentum as Inner Loop property values have continued to soar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look briefly in the rear view mirror, it\u2019s unbelievable what\u2019s been done in such a short period of time,\u201d Danny Grant `78 said. \u00a0He and his wife, Suzanne, are serving as co-chairs for 4500Forever and see this North Campus expansion as the next defining moment in the St. Thomas legacy … a once in a lifetime opportunity which brings a once in a lifetime kind of commitment from alumni, family and friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re only at the base camp right now … still a big climb in front of us. \u00a0This next $30 million will largely come from the Eagle community. \u00a0We need those who have never participated in the Annual Fund or our other capital campaigns. \u00a0We need people to look at this an 100-year gift. \u00a0A gift for the future, a gift which will endure. \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with a record-breaking enrollment for 2014-15 academic year, St. Thomas still cannot keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for Catholic education in Houston\u2019s exploding Inner Loop. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"4500Forever-Move-In-Master-Plan\"<\/p>\n

Extending the footprint enables St. Thomas to equip better all those involved in the sciences, gifted in the visual and communication arts, participating in our full-production plays and music programs and provides the valuable land space needed for additional practice facilities and more efficient workout routines for athletics programs. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat St. Thomas needs this property in order to thrive … and survive … is the story that resonates,\u201d vice president for advancement Mark deTranaltes \u201883 said. \u00a0\u201cWe can\u2019t continue to be competitive in the market and not meet the future needs of our constituents. \u00a0Our community has said, \u2018Yes, we\u2019re behind you. \u00a0Yes, this is what we want. \u00a0Yes, this is the future of St. Thomas High School.\u2019 \u00a0And they\u2019re willing to put their money where their mouth is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Faculty member Rod Takacs is in his fourth year at St. Thomas after teaching 13 years at Mount Carmel High School.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, what\u2019s most important about all this is the fact that St. Thomas will be able to serve a larger spectrum of students in the future,\u201d Takacs said. \u00a0\u201cMore space, more facilities and generating more income through our enrollments, all means greater opportunity to reach out to students who right now are unable to be a part of this community. \u00a0I\u2019m thrilled about that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to realize the level of competition among private and vanguard schools. \u00a0And competition makes everyone better. \u00a0This allows us to enhance and expand programs that we have, make our educational product even better, and in turn raise the educational in the city. \u00a0I\u2019m thrilled about getting closer and closer to that reality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joseph Buckle `15 is the Student Council President and a second generation Eagle (Edward `80). \u00a0He senses an anticipation for the acquisition even though he and the majority of the current students will not be on campus to participate and benefit from the expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely an excitement about the direction of the school because we\u2019ll always will be a part of this as alumni,\u201d Buckle said. \u00a0\u201cIf I\u2019m able to send my son to St. Thomas, he\u2019ll have considerably different experience than the one I\u2019m having, hopefully enriched by this campaign. \u00a0If you\u2019re not moving forward, you\u2019re moving backwards. \u00a0But the Basilian traditions and the Basilian values, those characteristics will never change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"4500Forever-Town-Hall-2014\"<\/p>\n

While Fr. Storey admits to being <\/span>humbled and, at times overwhelmed, by the response of the Eagle alumni and parents, friends and Houston foundations, <\/span>this unparalleled generosity is not near enough \u00a0with the clock ticking on the closing deadline. \u00a0STH must have at least $40 million in hand to complete the bid on October 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had 700 donors, which in the grand scheme of the St. Thomas community is a vast minority,\u201d Fr. Storey said. \u00a0\u201cGetting to $30 million now expands that circle tremendously and I expect those who have some real capacity to contribute will jump in a more significant way, just as those \u00a0have who always believed from the beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So whether monthly checks from a household budget, retirement-plan annuities or final bequests from estates, deTranaltes anticipates a potential pool of generous contributors embracing <\/span>a historic change that will impact lives for future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew we had a challenge in front of us unlike any other time in the history of the school,\u201d deTranaltes said. \u00a0\u201cHalfway to our goal means we can now extend our communication pieces and reach out to so many of those who have supported us in the past and are wanting to support us in the future. \u00a0There are so many who value this education and know the graduates of this institution give back to the community \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Catholic. \u00a0Basilian. \u00a0Teaching Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge since 1900.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The most ambitious capital campaign in St. Thomas history reaches a multi-million dollar threshold but hardly a crescendo. The 4500Forever fundraising arm to purchase the adjacent property from HISD and secure a vibrant St. Thomas future at the current 4500 Memorial Dr. address has crossed the $30 million mark, an unprecedented amount in the school\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[14,9,10,13,8],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/4500Forever-Table-Aug-2014.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions\/225"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sths.org\/4500Forever\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}