On Saturday, officials with Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan held their first “virtual” fundraiser, and it turned out to be a huge success.
President Preston Kendall, center, acknowledges the role of the Viatorians, including Fr. Charles Bolser, and Fr. John Milton, in 2018, when the new campus opened.
“Together, we raised over $500,000 for the students of CRSM,” said Preston Kendall, President, in an email to supporters afterwards. “Sponsors generously converted their gifts to donations and donors rallied online in support of our school and our mission.
The new school won an award from Crain’s Chicago Business for its adaptive reuse of a former K-Mart store
“While we could not be together in person this year, we were together in spirit,” Kendall added. “We felt each one of you, from the individual donors to the Clerics of St. Viator who continued their incredible generosity with a $50,000 donation! So whenever and wherever you joined us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Back in 2004, the Viatorians were among the founding religious communities to financially back Cristo Rey St. Martin when it opened. They continue to support the school and its mission of providing a college prep education to students and families of limited means. In fact, Viatorians believe so fully in the mission, they opened their own Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory in North Las Vegas last year.
Here’s a two-minute thank-you video from some of this year’s seniors: