Mount Carmel’s Capital Campaign off to good start

Mount Carmel’s effort to raise funds for school improvements, including a new assembly center, is off to a pretty good start.
The school officially kicked off its Capital Campaign Tuesday morning, announcing that more than $500,000 has already been raised. Students, parents and members of the community, as well as the Sisters of Mount Carmel, gathered to hear where the campaign will take them.
“Today we come to celebrate our past, our present and our future,” Mount Carmel President Sister Janet LeBlanc said.
The three-year goal for the campaign is $5 million. It is a goal that sets up the future for the ever-growing school.
Among the plans for the school are a new assembly center, a multi-media learning center and campus enhancements.
The assembly center will provide adequate seating for the student body, parents and guest for Masses, assemblies, enrichment activities and ceremonies. The center will also serve as the new gymnasium.
The school’s current gym will be renovated to serve as a multi-media learning center. It will feature an expanded library, a research technology center and a science lab.
“I had a comment made to me by a fifth-grader the other day,” Mount Carmel Principal Jackie Trahan said. “His comment was that he can’t wait until they have a new science lab. He told me that it is going to be so cool.
“It’s wonderful to hear the students excited that we will have these new things.”
The mission received some strong support during Tuesday’s kickoff from the Sisters of Mount Carmel.
“The Sisters of Mount Carmel pledge our full support behind this Capital Campaign,” Sister Lawrence Habetz, O. Carm, said. “It’s success ensures the school’s future success.”
Several other people have already pledged their financial support by joining the Capital Campaign’s 500 Club. The idea behind the club is 500 families, individuals or businesses making a gift of $10,000. Eleven now have names on the 500 Club board near the school’s front entrance.
Tuesday’s big announcement came during a parody of the gameshow “Wheel of Fortune.” However, instead of Vanna White flipping letters, numbers picked by some in attendance revealed numbers. Those numbers showed $500,897 that has already been raised toward the ultimate $5 million goal.
“The good news is that we have money in our Capital Campaign,” Director of Development Catherine Miller said. “The bad news is that it is not quite enough (to reach our goal). The great news is that it is out there.
“You just have to ask and pray.”
Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza, along with Councilman Brady Broussard Jr. and Councilman Francis Plaisance, attended the meeting. Piazza said supporting the school builds foundations for many things.
“I look back on my own personal experiences and how tremendous this school has been to me and my family,” Piazza said. “It has such a positive impact on the community. My family goes way back with the school. There’s more to this school than simply education.
“This is about tradition, family and friends.”
LeBlanc said helping the Capital Campaign now, whether that is through a donation, however large or small, time and just as importantly prayer, will build a foundation for decades to come.
“This is for future generations,” LeBlanc said. “It’s not just about us, in 2016.
“It’s about our legacy and what we are going to give to the future.”