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St. Theodore Catholic School students, faculty and families recently raised $12,135 through the Catholic Schools Raffle program between Jan. 15 through Feb. 28, according to a news release. Along with 81 other schools, St. Theodore raised a combined total of $1.49 million — a new record for the program.

Since Jan. 15, students of St. Theodore have been selling $5 raffle tickets as part of the Catholic Schools Raffle, a fundraising program provided free of charge by sponsor Catholic United Financial since 2009. St. Theodore is one of 82 schools in Minnesota and the Dakotas that were involved in 2021.

“As we continue with hardships due to this pandemic, it feels so good to chalk something like this into the win column,” said Michael Ahles, president of Catholic United Financial. “It has been our privilege to offer this program to local Catholic schools for the last 12 years. We knew through experience how creative and enterprising the families and staff at these schools are. They have taken things to a new level in 2021, despite the challenges the lockdowns threw at them. We’re amazed and encouraged at this show of support for Catholic education. Congratulations to everyone involved.”

The 2021 raffle officially concluded on March 11 with a prize drawing ceremony broadcast live on the Catholic United Financial website. The prizes, valued at over $40,000, included a new 2021 Ford Ecosport SUV, vacations, a $5,000 home improvement package, gift cards, 65-inch smart TVs and more.

Funds raised by participating schools, like St. Theodore are used to enhance school programs and facilities, including funding field trips, building playgrounds, supplementing tuition costs and providing new education technology.

Video, photos and a list of prize winners and results are available at: www.catholicunitedfinancial.org/raffle.