Fundraising at St. Thomas More Collegiate

St. Thomas More Collegiate is committed to delivering a top-quality well-rounded Catholic education while striving to keep our tuition rates affordable and preserving the diversity of our student body. It costs nearly $5 million to operate STMC each year. The majority of that cost (75%) is personnel, and the next largest expense (9%) is maintaining the current facilities and equipment. STMC receives less than half of its funding from parent fees (46%), and nearly half of its funding from government (49%).

In the end, it is the many donations - small and large - given voluntarily by so many families that truly creates the margin of excellence at STMC.

What makes the school break even each year are the family pledges included in all registration packets. As of 2011, STMC asks for a $1000-per-family pledge to support the cost of ongoing school maintenance ($400) and new athletic and community facilities ($600).

After 50 years, some of STMC's facilities and equipment have become outdated and outgrown. Charitable support is the essential ingredient to deliver the kind of educational experience and learning environment our students deserve, while keeping tuition affordable.

STMC completed a $3.9 million Fine Arts Wing and Courtyard in 2010 with extraordinary support from the StanJean Foundation and hundreds of STMC families. The school's next major priority is to build a 27,000-square-foot athletic and community centre, featuring a double-gym and fitness centre, followed by a lighted turf field, new scoreboard and bleachers, and a field house. These facilities will transform the STMC campus and greatly benefit every single student. At a total cost of $8.2 million, this is an ambitious goal, but we believe it is attainable and absolutely necessary.

Our ten-year Strategic Plan now focuses STMC on two top institutional priorities: To build an athletic program that excels in both competition and participation, and to honour the unrivalled spirit and fellowship of which STMC has long been proud through unprecedented engagement of our community. It is an exciting moment in STMC's history.

We recognize that many of our families are hard-working people who make sacrifices so that their children can have the STMC experience, and many do not have a lot of extra money to contribute to repeated fundraising appeals. Therefore we strive to coordinate and prioritize all fundraising efforts. We hope for all members of our community to consider charitable donations as one facet of your relationship with the school, one way you can participate in making it a better place for the young adults here now, and for the generations to come. Anything you can do to support STMC, with your time, talent, treasure and prayers is always most appreciated.

Questions and comments about fundraising at STMC can be directed to:

Jenifer Shelnutt-Jayme
Director of Development & Community Relations
STMC Foundation
(604) 521-1801 ext 131
Jen.shelnutt@stmc.bc.ca