Padua Raises $26,000 for Needy during 'Christmas for Others' Campaign

December is the most wonderful time of the year at Padua Franciscan High School. All month long our students, faculty, staff and alumni participate in our Christmas For Others fundraiser. CFO is a program designed to make the holidays brighter for the less fortunate. It is the largest student-run fundraiser in Northeast Ohio.

In 2018, Padua collected $26,763 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 during our CFO Mass on Friday, December 21, 2018. 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 $12,072 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 and 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 63 lives. Our main lobby was full of large bins to collect: toys, books, coats, mittens, hats, scarves, socks, blankets and food.

For 47 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.

2018 NEWS STORY: Click here to watch the Channel 19 story on Coin Wars.

2018 NEWS STORY: Click here to watch the Fox 8 News story on Coin Wars.

2018 NEWS STORY: Click here to read the cleveland.com article.

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