Christmas For Others Mass 2019 - Padua Franciscan High School

The Padua Franciscan community celebrated our annual Christmas For Others Liturgy on Friday, December 20, 2019.

Throughout the month of December, Padua collected a record-breaking $36,409 in cash, in addition to collecting thousands of donations (clothing, food, books and toys) for non-profits and families in need. We distributed the money and goods at the end of CFO Mass. Two dozen non-profits, inner-city schools, local food pantries, animal shelters and many others received these donations.

Our students raised funds in a number of ways. The most exciting was our Coin Wars Competition. In 18 minutes, we collected $11,194 cash for local charities and families in need. Students went door-to-door in our neighborhood to collect canned goods for local food pantries. Our Italian Club hosted a Spaghetti Dinner. Spanish Club sold nachos. German Club sold root beer floats. We had a student vs. faculty volleyball game, where $1 admission went to this good cause. We also had a blood drive, where students’ donations helped save 87 lives. Our main lobby was full of large bins to collect: toys, books, coats, mittens, hats, scarves, socks, blankets and food.

For 48 years, the Padua community has come together in the Franciscan spirit of giving. Since its inception in 1971, CFO has raised over $500,000 for charity. CFO is the largest student-run outreach program in Northeast Ohio. It is sponsored, organized and operated by the students, under the direction of Padua’s Key (Kiwanis) Club.

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