As you can see from this photo, replacement of the windows in the school has begun.  The new windows along the bottom floor are energy efficient and beautiful, too.  This is a view from the south side of the building.  Progress is moving forward inside with the new sprinkler system as well. 

We’ll continue to keep you updated as the work progresses.  Bless you for your continued support of the “Our Faith, Our Family” renovation project.

School renovations have begun!

Less than a year after we officially launched the ‘Our Faith, Our Family’ capital campaign, work has already begun on the first portion of the work. Crews began work in the school on June 8, preparing for the upgrade of the fire safety system.  The new windows are on their way and replacement will begin towards the end of June.  New hallway carpeting and smaller portions of the project will be completed in August, prior to the students’ return.  Watch for your opportunity to tour the school and see the upgrades!

NOTES:
 - Holy Family Summer Camp 2009 is being held in Diffley Hall.
 - There will be no coffee and donuts or pancake breakfasts after Masses until August.
 - Watch the bulletin for Gift Shop hours.

Fundraising Update:
Thanks to the support of so many parish members, our campaign continues to be successful.  Latest figures:

Goal: $2.5 million
Pledged: $1,989,000
Pledges/Donors: 624

If you have not had the opportunity to support this project, we ask that you prayerfully consider a donation to help renovate our parish family home.

There will be several opportunities to attend the ‘Our Faith, Our Family’ capital campaign reception next Sunday, March 8th. These receptions, like those held last Fall, are to share the plans and financial needs for the parish renovations. New parishioners, seasonal parishioners and those who were not able to attend a reception last Fall are invited to come and learn about this exciting project.

Receptions will be held after each Mass on Sunday, March 8, in Diffley Hall, in lieu of regular coffee and donut fellowship. If you have already attended a reception, please extend this invitation to others.

Those planning to attend should RSVP by Wednesday, March 4 by calling Tony Kapkowski at 522-7156 or 385-9137. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support of the ‘Our Faith, Our Family’ capital campaign.

In preparation for the school renovations, the steering committee and school representatives had very positive initial meetings with the construction company and architects. Detailed plans are now being developed, with the goal to start work in early June and finish in early August, with plenty of time before students return. The construction company will be meeting with the faculty and then each teacher individually to understand their classroom needs before, during and after the renovation.

Detailed project plans and budget will be finalized in March, along with confirming permits and selecting the windows. Team meetings to plan for the church renovations will begin in April and continue throughout the summer and fall.

Great News!  Summer Camp ‘09 is definitely on! Diffley Hall will be used for this popular program from June 8 through to July 31.Watch the bulletin for details.

As always, the steering committee and all the volunteers working to renovate our parish home are truly grateful for the continued generosity of our parish. If you have not pledged to this wonderful project yet, please consider a gift or pledge. You can call the office for more information.

Blessings!

As we discussed during the receptions, we were hoping to start the renovation this summer, but felt that more likely it would in 2010. Because of your support, we will be able to begin the renovations to our school in late May and finish before the new school year begins. Work will include new windows, bringing the fire system up to code and re-carpeting the hallways.

First of all, thank you for the amazing financial and volunteer support that so many of you have given to this project. In just a few short months, your campaign received over $1.97 million in pledges and has collected $664,000 toward our goal of $2.5 million, for the renovations to the church and school. This progress, especially inspiring in light of weak economic conditions, is evidence of our faith in our God, our parish and each other as a Holy Family.

As we discussed during the receptions, we were hoping to start the renovation this summer, but felt that more likely it would in 2010. Because of your support, we will be able to begin the renovations to our school in late May and finish before the new school year begins. Work will include new windows, bringing the fire system up to code and re-carpeting the hallways.

Completing the school portion of the project this summer will do several things for our parish:

· It will limit increases in construction costs by locking in prices now.

· The new windows will save on A/C costs which is particularly helpful now that we have a 25% increase in power bills, and

· The school will be ready for use during the church renovation, which we are hoping will start in the summer of 2010, assuming the payments from your pledge commitments keeping coming in and the Diocese is willing to support the necessary financing.

We hope that you are all excited to see the first part of this project ready to go so soon, as your money is put to work exactly as promised. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Our Guidance in Giving consultant.

Kim Burns, our Guidance in Giving (GIG) campaign director, has done a fantastic job organizing our capital campaign, training our volunteers and cheering our parish towards success.  As planned, her last day in the parish office will be Friday, October 31, after which she will move on to organize another campaign.  We will miss Kim’s professionalism and can-do spirit and wish her many blessings.  She has prepared our volunteer leaders to continue the effort and, along with local GIG staff Joe Neville, will be available to us for consulting.

Campaign statements and tracking will be handled through the Diocese, and monthly reminders have begun for those with a monthly pledge schedule. If you have questions about the campaign or how to pledge, please call the parish office at 526-5783. 

The “Our Faith, Our Family” capital campaign’s amazing success continues!  We have received pledges totaling nearly $1.8 million toward our goal of $2.5 million to renew our church and school.  This progress is outstanding, but we’re not finished yet.

We are asking for every parish family to participate in the campaign and to continue to pray for its success.  Remember, equal sacrifice does not mean equal giving, and every contribution counts.   Pledge envelopes are available in the pews and can be returned in the Offertory or dropped by the parish office.

Special thanks to our tireless campaign volunteers who continue to reach out by phone and in person to share the exciting campaign plans with parishioners. 

If you have questions about the campaign or about the many ways you can participate, please call the office at 526-5783.  

If you haven’t registered yet to attend a campaign reception, please RSVP by returning your invitation to the Holy Family office as soon as possible (you can also drop it into the collection basket at Mass). These informal gatherings provide a wonderful opportunity for you to learn more about our exciting campus renovation project, ask questions, and find out ways you can become involved. Every parishioner is asked to please attend a reception. (Don’t worry – you won’t be asked to return a pledge card at the receptions.)

If you’ve lost your invitation, Click here to print out a response card, or you can RSVP by calling the Campaign Office at 727-526-5783 ext. 12.

Upcoming Reception Dates:

Tuesday, September 9 @ 7:00pm in the School Dining Room

Wednesday, September 10 @ 3:00pm in Diffley Hall

Wednesday, September 10 @ 7:00pm in Diffley Hall

Thursday, September 11 @ 2:00pm in Diffley Hall

Monday, September 15 @ 1:00pm in Diffley Hall

Monday, September 15 @ 7:00pm in Diffley Hall

Thursday, September 18 @ 7:00pm in Diffley Hall

We will also be holding receptions on Saturday, September 20th after the 5:00pm Mass, and Sunday, September 21st after the 7:30am, 9:00am and 11:00am Masses.

If you have any questions about the “Our Faith, Our Family” Campaign, please call our on-site campaign director, Kim Burns at 727-526-5783.

We’re happy to announce that Kim Burns, our fundraising consultant from Guidance in Giving, will be working onsite at Holy Family through the fall to help ensure our capital campaign meets its goals. She has worked for Guidance in Giving for nine years and has helped numerous churches including St. Patrick (Largo), Espiritu Santo (Safety Harbor), Our Lady of the Rosary (Land O’Lakes), as well as the Diocese of St. Petersburg during the “Our Journey in Faith Diocesan Campaign”, raise the capital to complete important construction and stewardship projects.

Your Renovation and Renewal Steering committee is excited to be working with Herman Construction Services, Inc., who has been selected to guide us through the construction planning and building process and have been working diligently with our architect and committee over the summer.

Herman Construction has extensive experience with church building projects including the Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School in Hudson, the Bishop Larkin Pastoral Center in St. Pete, Clearwater Central Catholic’s White Family Center for the Arts, and many more high profile projects throughout Florida.

We’re thrilled to have their expertise and partnership as we work to ensure success with our campaign.

We’re excited to announce the theme and beautiful new logo for our capital campaign. The theme for the campaign is “Our Faith, Our Family, Our Commitment to Renewal.” Here’s the beautiful logo:

We think you’ll agree that this theme communicates the warmth and spirit of our congregation and the central importance of Holy Family Parish to our faith life. Thanks to parishioners Jose Villavicencio and Tara Kenyon for developing the artwork for our striking, contemporary logo and campaign materials.

Thank you for subscribing to our campaign blog. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date with all the exciting campaign news, progress and details in the coming months.