Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland has launched the public phase of its most ambitious fundraising campaign in school’s history.
To date, $3.4 million has been raised in support of Founded in Faith. This includes a $1 million gift from the Sisters of St. Casimir and nearly 100 additional gifts totaling $2.4 million. With the help of the Villa community, this campaign hopes to raise $6 million to allow Villa to further its mission and become the leader in the region for girls’ secondary education.
Fulfilling the Mission’s plan is almost complete. Villa’s state-of-the-art, 600-seat auditorium intends to open its doors this summer, prior to the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The addition of a new auditorium will not only create a venue for Villa’s fine arts programs, but will provide a space for all students to develop their natural gifts and talents.
Additionally, the auditorium will benefit the student body by providing space for the celebration of Mass and will alleviate the challenges of athletic programs as they seek practice, game, and tournament space.
Finally, the space will serve the larger community by providing a venue for community meetings, programs, and cultural arts performances.
Fulfilling the Mission’s second phase has also just begun. Architectural plans have been drawn up for an expansion of classroom space. This is necessary, as Villa’s enrollment and curricular offerings grow, in order to maintain the small class sizes and personal learning experience that are hallmarks of a Villa Joseph Marie education. The new S.T.E.M. wing of classrooms will include an innovation lab, technology makerspace, full media center, and much more in the upcoming plans. These enhancements will provide opportunities for student engagement and collaborative learning.
Fulfilling the Mission’s plan will include increased availability of financial aid and growth of the endowment, which will allow Villa to attract and retain the most academically-focused students, regardless of their financial circumstances, ultimately making a Villa education more accessible, both now and in the future.
The expansion would not be possible without the support of the Villa community and the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant, awarded to Villa by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Wolf authorized the release of $1 million in matching funds to build state-of-the-art STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) facilities for Villa’s 400 students. The latest grant is in addition to the $500,000 Villa was awarded in December 2017 to redevelop the first floor of the North Wing of St. Joseph’s Hall on the school’s campus.
For information or to donate, visit
vjmhs.org.
