Catholic Charities thanks St. Mary’s Swormville students for raising funds for Appeal 2024

St. Francis of Assisi said, “In giving, we receive.” St. Mary’s School in Swormville saw that out into action as Catholic Charities thanked the students by giving them an ice cream party. St. Mary’s raised $2,886, the most of any school, for Catholic Charities 100th annual appeal. Perry’s provided the ice cream. Catholic Charities staff dished it out.

“Remember this morning when I said we had raised a lot of money for Catholic Charities?” asked Principal Tristan D’Angelo to the students gathered in the school gym on Sept. 12. “Well, these are the representatives of Catholic Charities. They wanted to come and thank us.” 

Chuck Hayes, chief development officer at Catholic Charities, quizzed the kids for a bit before their treat.

“Who knows what charity is?” he asked. 

One young child answered correctly. “It’s when you help people for things they need.”

“Thanks to your efforts and your charity, somebody is a little warmer tonight, somebody’s a little less hungry, somebody’s a little less troubled, somebody is on their way to getting a better job. You’ve done all that. In little bits and pieces, you’ve helped. And that’s what charity does, and it’s really important,” Hayes said.

The pre-K through eighth grade school raised the funds through its annual Pray and Play event. During Lent, young students act out the Stations of the Cross, then participate in games designed by older students. 

“We throw pies in teachers’ faces. We have a cake walk. That money that we raise (through ticket sales) goes toward Catholic Charities,” D’Angelo explained. “We have service projects all year long. So, they understand the concept of service. They understand the concept of giving. This is just a part of what we do at St. Mary’s.”

“It’s really important for kids to understand the importance of charity and the importance of giving at a young age,” Hayes said while the kids devoured their treats. “We all need to lift each other up, and if you start that culture of giving at a young age, it will continue on in their lives and take it with them wherever they go.” 

More than $8 million was raised during the 2024 appeal to help fund more than 50 programs and services administered by Catholic Charities along with several ministries through the Fund for the Faith. As the most comprehensive human services provider serving all eight counties of Western New York, Catholic Charities’ programs and services include behavioral health services, basic emergency assistance, food pantries, education and workforce training, family safety and stabilization programs, and immigration and refugee assistance.