Xavier Foundation Fall 2009

Inside: Parish Appeal 2009

Donor Reception

Xavier Visioning

Kevin Andrews X04

Alumni News

Over the summer months, the Xavier Foundation staff, par-ish Pastors and volunteers have been busy with preparations for the 2009 Annual Parish Appeal.

Twenty-seven years ago, parishioners began giving to the Regis-LaSalle Foundation and now the Xavier Foundation Parish Appeal to ensure a Catholic high school education is available in the Cedar Rapids metro area. These gifts have provided stu-dents with an exceptional faith-based education experience that gives them direction to become future Christian leaders in their communities. You can make a difference in the life of every Xavier student with your participation in the 2009 Annual Parish Appeal. Your gift at any level is welcomed and appreciated.

Chairs, Pat and Cathy McAllister of the Parish of John XXIII, and Associate Chairs Don and Mary (Keefe) Chizek (R81) of St. Pius X Parish, will lead this year’s appeal. Volunteer leadership from all twelve metro parishes will join

them. Thanks to the following parish members who have agreed to be chairs at their parishes: All Saints: Lori (Takes) Stock (R81), Steve and Mary (Bader) Kray (R79); Immaculate Conception: Diane (Fagan) Ropp (R85); St. Joseph: Kent and Sara Sodawasser, Paula and Steve Peot; St. Jude: Richard and Kathy Colwell, Paul (L79) and Nancy (Babor) Charipar (L80); St. Ludmila: Lehia Roberts and Nancy Pitlik; St. Matthew: John and Dana (Klein) Miller (R76), Monica Straub and Joe Kennedy; St. Patrick: Chris and Dawn (Lane) Martin (L84), Mike and Debbie (Lane) Himmelsbach (L85); St. Patrick, Fairfax: Pat (L77) and Lois Slater, Jim and Laurie (Lefebure) Neuhaus (L80); St. Pius X: Paul and Gail Williams, Mike and Jody Esker; St. Wenceslaus: Dave Martin and John Svoboda; St.

Elizabeth Ann Seton: Paul and Carol (Steepleton) Steingreaber (R83), Marc and Teresa Daubitz; Parish of John XXIII: Mike and Ellen Bouchard, Joe and Lorraine Blanck.

The 2009 Parish Appeal Goal is $400,000. Pledge cards will be available at parishes the weekends of September 26, 27 and October 3, 4. The funds raised from the appeal help support the bond repayment program, special projects at Xavier and the tuition assistance program. Please join us in continuing the rich tradition of prayers and financial support of our Catholic high school.

“You can make a difference in the life of every Xavier student when you participate in the 2009 Annual Parish Appeal.”

Questions? Contact Lynn Jump:

Annual Fund Director (319) 378-4571

ljump@xavierfoundation.org.

Preparing For the 2009 Parish Appeal

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On August 12, 2009 the Xavier Foundation hosted a donor recog-nition reception to honor members of the Archbishop Circle, Heritage Society and Scholarship Endowment Circle. Archbishop Jerome Hanus, esteemed guest and member of the Xavier Foundation Board of Directors, personally recognized the donors for their commitment to Catholic Education in addition to blessing the new Scholarship Endowment Circle display that hangs inside the main entrance of the high school. During the reception, ten new members were inducted into the Heritage Society. 2009 inductees include Carol Bean, Ken Francis, Andrea Henley, Jamie Henley, Denise Maze, Steve Maze, Claire Sharp, Larry Sharp and two anonymous donors.

Also honored were members of the 2008-2009 Archbishop’s Circle and the Endowed Scholarship Circle. The Xavier Foundation is committed to ensuring future generations of stu-dents will continue to receive a qual-ity Catholic secondary education. The Heritage Society was established to recognize donors who share this com-mitment by including the Xavier Foundation in their estate or deferred giving plans through a bequest in their will, a beneficiary designation in an insurance policy or retirement plans, or through a trust or charitable gift annuity. The Archbishop’s Circle was initiated to recognize and thank donors who have demonstrated their commitment to Xavier High School by supporting the Foundation with generous unrestricted gifts of $1,000 or more during the Foundation’s fiscal year. Gifts at this level help support the Foundation’s mission and help Xavier plan for the future. Each year the Foundation acknowledges the honor roll of Archbishop’s Circle mem-bers based on gifts and payments given to the annual appeals during the fiscal year. Members of the Scholarship Endowment Circle have created an endowed scholarship with a mini-mum gift of $10,000 to help provide students with tuition assistance for generations to come.

Archbishop Hanus Recognizes Xavier Foundation Donors at Annual Reception

As reported in the last issue of the Common Thread, the Xavier Board of Education embarked on a visioning process to examine the current realities and perceptions of the school and use that information to chart a course for our future.

Throughout the summer more than 150 individuals representing a variety of constituencies including students, parents, faculty, alumni, metro area business community, and families who chose to send their students to schools other than Xavier participated in focus groups. From these groups, visioning consultant Jeff Johnson is compiling a state of the school report which will be presented this fall. The results of this report will be made available to all who are interested. Look for information on how to view the results in future publi-cations or on the Foundation’s website: www.xavierfoundation.org.

This examination process is the first step in developing goals for Xavier’s next decade. The results of the state of the school report will be instrumental in development of a strategic plan for the future of Xavier High School.

Visioning Update

Tell us what you think!

The Xavier Foundation is conduct-ing a brief survey regarding our newsletter, e-newsletter and other Xavier publications. This 10 ques-tion survey is quick and easy - and we need your feedback! Visit www.xavierfoundation.org and click on “Communications Survey.”

Thank you for your participation! We sincerely value your input.

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From left: Carol Bean, Jamie Henley, Andrea Henley, Larry Sharp, Denise Maze, Steve Maze, Archbishop Hanus, and Ken Francis. (Claire Sharp not pictured.)

Left: Archbishop Hanus and Bob Erusha

The Xavier Foundation is pleased to announce that Gary Becker has been elected to its board of directors. Becker is Senior Vice President of Commer-cial Services with Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust. Gary and his wife Michelle are members of St. Elizabeth Ann Se-ton parish and have two children who graduated from Xavier; Andy (X06) and Abby (X03). Gary has been an outstanding volunteer at Xavier serv-ing on the school’s finance commit-tee for 11 years. In addition, Gary has shared his financial expertise with Xavier students teaching social stu-dents and businesses courses through Junior Achievement for seven years.

Becker replaces Brian A’Hearn who served two terms as a Foundation board member. Also leaving the Foundation board is Sister Jean Marie Brady, B.V.M. who retired from her position as Director of the Metropoli-tan Office of Catholic Education. The Foundation board thanks A’Hearn and Brady for their dedication and service.

The following officers were re-elected to the Foundation board for the 2009-2010 fiscal year: Bill McCartan, Chair; John Cleavenger, Vice-Chair; Conrad Baumler, Treasurer; and Rev. Philip Thompson, Pastoral Coordinator.

Making your donation to the Xavier Foundation just got easier! We recently upgraded our online donation program to LINK2GOV. This new program offers the most advanced, efficient electronic payment systems as a way to make a donation or payment to the Xavier Foundation. Credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks are ac-cepted.

To make your donation or payment to the Xavier Foundation using this new, secure program, visit the Foundation’s website at www.xavierfoundation.org and click on the appropriate option

under “Donate Now” on the menu bar. The LINK2GOV process is quick and secure, and will help the Foundation eliminate costly credit card processing fees*, allowing more funds to be direct-ed to the High School.

We’re excited to offer this as an option for our generous donors who prefer to make their gifts online. Thanks to Hills Bank who offers this program at no charge to the Foundation.

*A convenience charge of $1.25 will be applied to each online donation.

Last spring, with the help of theol-ogy teacher, Mike Goldsmith and many other volunteers, a Religious Vo-cation Display was erected in the Campus Ministry hallway in honor of LaSalle, Re-gis, and Xavier alumni who have pursued religious vo-cations and to encourage current Xavier students to discern whether a religious vocation could be part of their future.The display was constructed by Nesper Signs, owned by Phil and Donna Gar-land, parents of Tom (X07) and Nick

(X10). Without their generosity, this project would not have been possible.

The artwork was provided by Xavier grad Keith Van Erdew-yk (X07), who worked many hours putting together the

images of the priest and nun. The Scrip-ture verse was selected by Xavier parent Lorrie Erusha. Lorrie is the mother of Meredith (X08) and John (X10). The display currently features three alumni: Mark Murphy (R98), Kristin Zogg (X05) and Aaron Junge (X08).

Foundation Upgrades to New Online Donation Vendor

Religious Vocation Display Unveiled

Gary Becker Elected to Foundation Board

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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom Shall I

Send? Who Will Go For Us?” “Here I am,” I said; “Send Me!”

Isaiah 6:8

The Xavier Foundation is pleased to an-nounce the election of Barry A’Hearn (R97), Katie Bellendier (X02), Ka-tie (Mills) Giorgio (X99), and Tory (Pilcher) Haefner (R92) to the La-

Salle - Regis - Xavier Alumni Board. The following members were elected for a two year term as officers of the board: Angie (Pernicone) Charipar (R90), President (pictured at left); Roberto Pino (X99), Vice-Presi-dent; and Josh Barta (L98), Treasurer.

The Alumni Board extends sincere thanks to Ted Borelli (R88) for three years of service as the Alumni Board president, and to Dan Erusha (L98), Sarah (Bruckman) Klima (X99), Les-ley (O’Toole) Panos (R88), and Mike Schulte (R87) who also served as mem-bers of the Alumni board for several years.

Returning board members include: D.J. Arnold (R92), Joe Behmer (X99), Ted Borelli (R88), Debbie (Mill-er) Jacobs (R69), Brad Joens (R96), and Lisa (Graham) Whitten (L86).

Alumni Board Elects New Officers

Class Reunions • Regis Class of 1960. September 2010. Contact Karen Dennis at 319-848-4574 for more information.

• Regis Class of 1979. October 2 - 4, 2009. Contact Dave Thinnes at regisclassof79@yahoo.com for more information.

• LaSalle Class of 1984. September 25 - 26, 2009. Contact lasallelancers84@gmail.com for more information.

• Regis Class of 1984. September 25, meet at Xavier football game, September 26 - Golf at Squaw Creek and Tim Hill will host a party in his home at 6:00 p.m. Questions? Contact Kirk Haefner at kirk.haefner@agentnetmail.com

Save the Date!• The LaSalle - Regis - Xavier Alumni Hall of Fame will take place on Friday, January 22 during halftime of the Xavier boys basketball game against CR Prairie. The induction will take place at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Way to Go, Saints!• Congratulations to the girl’s soccer team for winning the Class 1A State Championship, for the fourth year in a row! The Saints defeated Dallas Center-Grimes 1-0. The Saints also placed four players on the All-Tourna-ment Team. This is the f ifth girl’s state soccer championship for Xavier which ties for the most in Iowa’s history.

• Cassandra Chalhoub (X09) & Sean Mathison (X09) won the 1A Tennis State Co-Ed Doubles Champion-ship on Tuesday, June 9th in Johnston. Congratulations to Coach Myres, Coach Seely, Sean & Cassandra on an outstanding achievement!

Full House• Xavier is excited to welcome 790 Saints for the 2009 - 2010 academic year. Please keep all students, faculty, and staff in your prayers at the begin-ning of another year of Learning, Leading, and Serving.

Join us on Saturday, November 28 for the 2nd Annual LaSalle - Regis - Xavier Alumni Basketball Tournament spon-sored by the LaSalle, Regis, Xavier Alumni Board.

The day’s events will begin at 9 a.m. when team 1980s goes up against team 2000s. Team 1990s will have a chance to defend their title at 10:15 when they go up against team 1959-1979.

From 11: 15 - 12:15 lunch will be served in the Commons area ($5 per person) and a Best of 10 free-throw and a Half-Court Shot competition will take place in the gym. Family and friends are encouraged to participate! The consola-

tion game will begin at 12:40 and the championship game will take place at 2:00.

Player registration is $25 in advance, $30 at the door and includes a team t-shirt and lunch. Mark your calendars now and print your registration form from the Foundation website at: www.xavierfoundation.org

In lieu of an admission fee a free-will donation will be accepted and proceeds will be distributed to the Xavier High School Community Service Day fund. The concession stand and Saint Shop will be open - bring your family and come and join in the fun!

2nd Annual Alumni Basketball Tournament

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It doesn’t take a mathematician to fig-ure out that combining two life pas-sions will equal an amazing experience. When Kevin Andrews (X06), a junior at Southern Minnesota University (study-ing accounting and finance), heard about the Ace Hoops program through his Fellowship of Christian Athletes group, he instantly recognized the opportu-nity to use his passion for basketball to share his passion for God’s infinite love for us, and he signed up immediately.

Ace Hoops is a faith-based non-profit or-ganization with a vision for urban youth transformation that stretches far beyond basketball courts and gymnasiums. Ace Hoops extends athletic opportunities and comprehensive programming to ur-ban youth and communities, regardless of their religious a f f i l ia t ions .

In July, An-drews packed his bags and joined 12 other volun-teers headed for Juarez, Mexico to run a basketball camp at the Emmanuel Children’s Home. Seeded amidst poverty and devastation, the Em-manuel Children’s Home provides meals, housing, education, medical/dental care and spiritual guidance to approximate-ly 100 young children and teenagers.

Although the decision to participate in the program was an easy one, knowing the dangers plaguing Juarez including poverty, crime, and drug cartel corrup-tion, made it a dangerous and fright-ening one as well. Andrews relied on

his faith to help him through; “All my fears, worries, doubts, and in-securities couldn’t hin-der me from the per-sonal relationship I have with the Lord who will see me through it all.”

Before crossing the border into Mexico, the Ace Hoops group stopped to pray at the International House of Prayer (IHOP). Of the experience Kevin says, “It was a good time to pray, worship, and get my mind ready for the busy week at hand... and allowed me to real-ize that God was going to use this trip to glorify His name and that in order to do that I needed to lay it all aside.” And that is just what he did. The week-

long camp that ensued involved music, fun, fellowship, prayer, and of course - basketball. The camp operates under the premise that basketball is a universal tool that can be used by and through every generation to spread God’s love for us.This tool allowed Andrews and the other volunteers to form many sol-id and lasting relationships with the children they were working with.

Although Andrews isn’t certain where life will lead him after college, he hopes to teach and coach at the high school level but is open-minded about his options saying, “Regardless, I want the Lord to use me however he wishes to build up His kingdom.”

K e v i n A n d r e w sAlumni Spotlight

X06

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Alumni News

Daniel “Casey” Jones (L68) of Ce-dar Rapids, died May 18, 2009. Daniel is survived by his mother, Mary Carnes Jones; a son, Matt Jones; a daughter, Kelly ( Jones) Scheffert; a stepdaugh-ter, Christie Shaver; his brother, David Jones (L65); two sisters, Alicia ( Jones) Geiger (L69) and Vanessa Jones (L74).

Roxane (Burke) Marconi (R78) of Cedar Rapids, died June 20 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Roxane is sur-vived by her husband, Brian; her father, John Burke; a brother, John Burke III (R76); and three sisters, Dotti Burke (R77), Lori (Burke) Margulies (R80), and Mary (Burke) Zieser (R86). She was preceded in death by her mother, Ruth.

Nancy “Jo” Good (R79) of Cedar Rap-ids died May 31, 2009. Nancy is survived by her sisters, Lori Good (R76), Diane (Good) Thome (R78), Barb (Good) Lang (R80); and a brother, Greg (R83).

Jerry Cahill (R80) of Kansas City, MO died January 30, 2009 after a brief battle with liver cancer. Jerry is survived by his parents, Ken and Marilyn Cahill; sisters, Cindy (Cahill) Tessmer (R81), Sherry Cahill (R92), Tanya (Cahill) Rogers (R94), and Tracy (Cahill) Oehler.

We Remember

Dear Friends and Alumni

1960s Mark Taylor (R67) and wife Barb have four adult sons. Dr. Taylor works in urgent care in many cities throughout Iowa, in addition to per-forming review EMR of nurse practitioners.

1970sJeffrey Whittle (L79) and Donna Page were united in marriage on Febru-ary 21, 2009 in Van Nuys, CA. Jeffrey is employed by CBS Radio as an on-air news anchor in San Bernadino, CA.

1980sBeth (Drew) Hartauer (L81) was awarded the “Volunteer of the Year” award for her work at an unwed mother’s shelter in Carmel, IN.Mary Lou (Connolly) McCartan (R83) and husband William (R83), a daughter, Margaret, on July 2, 2009. Heidi (Pelzel) MachLachlan (L86) and husband Andrew, a daughter, Kather-ine Elizabeth, on April 15, 2009. Katie is welcomed home by sisters Abby (17) and Sophie (4), and brother, Tony (14).

1990sJason Boyd (R91) and Deanna Bald-win were united in marriage on No-vember 1, 2008 at St. Thomas Aqui-nas Catholic Church in Dallas, TX.

Ann (Holtz) Ogoreuc (R91) and husband Tom, a daughter, Sydney Ann on April 10, 2009. The family resides in Pittsburgh, PA.Nicole (Russell) Reichert (R94) and husband James, a daughter, Jillian, born May 22, 2008. Jon Antonelli (R95) and wife Stephe-nie, a son, Ayden, on February 14, 2008. Jon and his sister Margaret “Peggy” An-tonelli (R93) also announce the success-ful launch of their joint business ven-ture, APPS, which provides parameds for insurance companies, in June of 2008.Christy (Newman) Charkowski (R95) and husband Chad (R94), a daugh-ter, Camryn, on February 16, 2008. Justin Gilmore (R95) and wife Joanna, a son, James David, on March 6, 2009. Justin was recently promoted to Senior Marketing Consultant for Assurant Specialty Property. The family resides in West Des Moines, IA.

Brian Day (L96) and Julie Ries were united in marriage on December 20, 2008 at Resurrection Church in Dubuque, IA. The couple reside in Altoona, IA.Lisa (Rupp) Schimberg (R96) and husband Charlie (R94), a son, Sam-uel Ryan, on October 3, 2008. Sam-uel is welcomed by a brother, Jack.Katie (Udermann) Walter (L97) and husband Ed (R86), a daugh-ter, Claire Marie, on April 6, 2008.Sadie Bulicek (R98) announc-es her position as Sales Manager with Yellowbook in Henderson, NV.

2000sMaria ( Johnson) Drees (X00) announces her position with Group Benefits De-sign Corporation as a Health & Well-ness Consultant. Maria and her hus-band Doug reside in Cedar Falls, IA.Elizabeth Negro (X00) received her M.B.A. from Marquette University on May 17, 2009.Krystal (Detweiler) Parker (X00) graduated with distinction and received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from ISU in May 2009. She was recognized with an Excellence in Re-search award and has accepted a position at the University of Iowa Department of Psy-chiatry where she will research clinical data involving the cerebellum and schizophrenia. Daniel Stabile (X00) and Nichole Kiefer were united in marriage on February 25, 2009. The couple resides in Ottumwa, IA.Melissa Harmeyer (X03) announces her ac-ceptance at Roosevelt University in Chicago where she will work toward her Masters in Education. She is currently employed as the office manager at the University of Chicago. Trisha Stepanek (X03) and Jeffrey McClure (X03) were united in marriage on February 7, 2009 at Ascension Catholic Church in Puako, HI. The couple reside in Cedar Rapids, IA. Andrea Eichler (X04) announces her employment with The Univer-sity of Iowa Hospitals as an RN BSN.Kristen Jasiewicz (X05) graduated from Mar-quette this spring and is now in Des Moines studying to become a Physician’s Assistant.

The Xavier Foundation is on Facebook! Use the search tool to locate us, and send us a message to update your contact information, share your news and stay in the loop with alumni news and events!

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Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage PaidCedar Rapids IAPermit No. 353P.O. Box 10956

Cedar Rapids, IA 52410-0956

Board of DirectorsOfficersMost. Rev. Jerome Hanus, OSB, STLWilliam McCartanJohn CleavengerConrad BaumlerRev. Philip ThompsonJody Ruff

MembersGary BeckerMichele BusseBrenda ClancyTom KeatingDan LynchSteve RidgeCynthia SueppelFred TimkoMark Watson

Board EmeritusRobert C. ErushaMichael StallmanGary Streit

Jody RuffExecutive Director

Lynn JumpAnnual Fund Director

Jessica SchneiderDir. Marketing & Alumni Relations

p: 319.378.4571f: 319.378.2953e: development@xavierfoundation.org w: www.xavierfoundation.org

It’s been more than a year since Cedar Rapids was hit by one of the most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history. After ten square miles flooded in the heart of Cedar Rapids damag-ing more than 1,000 businesses and 5,000 homes, the community joined forces to begin rebuilding and were faced with a humbling outpouring of support in the way of donations and

volunteers from around the country. Especially hard hit were St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church: To view the progress St. Wenceslaus has made in a year, and see photos of the hundreds of volunteers who helped in the recovery, visit: www.stwenceslauscr.com. After hundreds of hours of hard work, St. Patrick’s opened to celebrate Mass on Easter Sunday 2009, however much reubuilding is still needed.In celebration of the Cedar Rapids community’s progress since the Flood of 2008, Archbishop Jerome Hanus presided at a Mass at Immaculate Conception Church on June 11, 2009 with the Cedar Rapids Catholic community.

A City Rebuilding