Fund-raisers could total up to $17,000 for Cathedral

Date: 5/1/2012

April 30, 2012

By Katelyn Gendron

katelyn@thereminder.com

WILBRAHAM — Cathedral High School may have a long way to go to reach the $70 million needed to build a new facility in Springfield, however, those at the school currently housed in Wilbraham are working diligently to raise as much as $17,000 through its latest fund-raisers.

Sarat Ford Lincoln in Agawam has chosen Cathedral as the beneficiary of its Drive One 4 UR School fund-raiser on May 12, which could garner as much as $6,000 from those test-driving 25 new vehicles. Of the 400 institutions participating in the Drive One 4 UR School event, Ford Motor Company also chose Cathedral as one of the 64 schools allowed to participate in the Drive One 4 UR School Student Video Contest. Cathedral made it through the first round of the national competition for $10,000 and will be facing off in the next cycle of voting on May 7.

"We are bound and determined to get that 10 grand," Linda McGurn, director of advancement at Cathedral, said, noting that students had just two days notice to create the video and submit it to Ford Motor Company.

"The teachers and administration in the school have got so heavily behind this. All of those things are happening because the teachers have rallied themselves and rallied the students to get this done. It has been a real morale booster," she said, noting that in addition to the Drive One 4 UR School event, teachers and students will also be offering myriad activities and raffles on that day to raise an another $1,000.

The funds acquired on May 12 will go toward the purchase of new athletic equipment for the school's teams and clubs.

"We lost a lot of athletic equipment and the fields and opportunities for afterschool [programs due to the June 1, 2011 tornado]," McGurn explained. "They don't have home games. They're playing all over the Pioneer Valley from Wilbraham to Springfield to Chicopee. It's a real challenge."

John DeLucchi, business development manager at Sarat Ford, said, "They're looking for $70 million to rebuild but we felt that if we could get them at least $6,000 it could help with sports equipment or new band equipment. It's a help because it's such a struggle for them to get back what they've lost."

For every test driver, age 18 or older, Ford Motor Company will give Cathedral $20 for up to 300 participants on May 12 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., DeLucchi explained. The event will occur at the school, located at 310 Main St.

To vote for Cathedral during the latest round of the video contest on May 7, visit www.facebook.com/DriveOne4URSchool. To view the video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS9EVjivVrw.