Being a Red Knight means receiving a top-notch Catholic education, participating in extracurricular activities, and taking a number of different classes. To enjoy such experiences, students need ambition, an open mind, but above all, they need the money to make it happen. On May 18, BSM will host its fourth annual Day of Giving. Headed by the BSM Advancement Office, the Day of Giving serves as a crucial piece of BSM’s Annual Fund and providing students with a unique high school experience.

For many students, there’s a belief that the tuition they pay for a private school education covers all school expenses, but that’s far from the truth. “Tuition covers only a portion of the school’s expenses. We want to keep tuition both affordable and competitive, and the Annual Fund becomes an important part of achieving that goal,” BSM president Dr. Adam Ehrmantraut said.

The Day of Giving is a full day where BSM asks members of the community to contribute to the school financially so that tuition assistance, student experiences, teaching development, and other programs at BSM can thrive.  “It’s a day where we try to rally all of BSM’s stakeholders to support our Annual Fund, which benefits every student in the school,” Ehrmantraut said.

For the last few weeks, students have heard announcements about the upcoming Day of Giving, but outside of the building, the marketing department has been hard at work promoting the fast-approaching date. “We promote [the Day of Giving] through direct mailings, phone calls from BSM staff and students, social media interaction, and video production. We also have an alumni captain from each past graduating class who reaches out to their former classmates to gather more support,” Ehrmantraut said.

Students may lack the ability to make large donations, but the reality is, this fundraiser benefits students more than anyone else, so the school is including them in the excitement: Thursday is being designated as a spirit day, all students are receiving #RedKnightsUNITE keychains and the student council is sponsoring an Instagram contest throughout the school day. “We’re trying to support students on a day-to-day basis, and this is very important for [students], though they may not realize,” Ehrmantraut said.

Donations for last year’s Day of Giving totaled about $200,000, with some very generous matching gift donors. The goal for this year is between $220,000 and $240,000.