Taking care of our school buildings is part of taking care of our students, which is why we have the Capital Improvement Campaign. This special fund pools our Battle Creek Catholic Family resources and directs them to our schools’ greatest areas of need. “Raise the Roof” is our current campaign.
Roofs are like the hand of God. We can forget their protection until life lets in a little rain.
The St. Joseph School roof has been letting in more than a little rain. Frequent puddles in the computer lab, the second-grade classroom, the cafeteria, the preschool, and the foyer have been promptly cleaned up by staff.
“The staff is bearing the bulk of this in labor and time,” said Ed Bauman, BCACS business manager, and BCACS Alumni, Class of 1970. “They are up on the roof, checking things a couple of times a month.”
The problem, however, goes beyond a quick patch and a mop and bucket. Structural analysis of the roof in 2018 told a grim if loving tale.
The original school building, dedicated in 1949, had one roof system. Since then, generations of parishioners, alumni, and benefactors have raised funds to expand and add to the school, including an extensive middle school addition, which opened in 2009.
The unintended result of these expansion projects is a cobbled-together roof, containing different styles, slopes, and systems. Some of the transitions between these roof systems are failing. Two systems are failing outright – the roof over the original cafeteria and the roof over the preschool wing. The roof over the grade school, which has an extensive internal gutter system, needs extensive repair.
The bad news: We need to repair our roof.
The good news: Our roof is in God’s hands. We know this because we are God’s hands.
The BCACS Foundation has launched a two-year, $300,000 “Raise the Roof” capital campaign, focused on the St. Joseph School site. They are asking this generation of parishioners, alumni, and benefactors to help repair the roof over our students’ heads by making a gift.
And, if possible, making the gift soon.
The roof cannot be repaired until the school has $150,000 up front. Until then, preventative maintenance will continue, costing as much as $10,000 a year.
“Time is of the essence,” said Kathy Gallagher, BCACS Foundation interim director. “We are spending thousands of dollars in preventative maintenance when we could be correcting the problem. Making the proper repairs as soon as possible would be the most prudent use of people’s contributions.”
When the school has $150,000, the roof project will move forward, no matter the time or season. Repairs will start with the preschool roof. Other sections will be addressed in order of deterioration, as funds are available.
Repairing a roof may not be a flashy job, but it is a noble one. Protecting God’s children is always a noble job.
“Making a donation to the roof is not only maintaining a building, it is also preserving the history and memories while also allowing us to build new ones,” said Katie Reed, St. Joseph School assistant-principal and BCACS Alumni, Class of 2000. “We want our current students to learn and love under the same “newer” roof that we have all shared.”
Ready to make our roof something our BCACS Family can forget?
Click, print, and return the pledge card below to the BCACS Foundation. You can donate online here. Contact Kathy Gallagher at kgallagher@bcacs.org or 963-4771 to see how gifts of appreciated stock or a portion of your minimum distribution from your individual retirement account can positively impact your tax situation.
