New School Looking For Funding Holy Family Catholic School Plans Raffle For Car, Motorcycle, Cruise

Organizers of Holy Family Catholic School have raised about $25,000 - $325,000 short of what they need to open the proposed elementary school.

But with an ambitious fund-raising drive, they still could open the private school on schedule in the fall.

On Friday, the school boosters are sponsoring a St. Patrick’s Day dance, their second community dance. The first one, a 1950s sock hop, raised almost $7,000 for the school.

But the big potential money-maker is a raffle for a 1963 Corvette Stingray, a 1993 Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle, an ocean cruise, a big-screen television and other prizes.

“We’re using the event (the dance) to bring people in to buy raffle tickets,” admitted Julie Van Cleave, a parent who serves on the school’s steering committee.

If 7,000 people purchase raffle tickets, that will cover the school’s operating costs for one year, organizers said. The raffle tickets cost $50 each.

“We’re still a long ways off,” said Tim Burns, the school’s steering committee chairman.

The committee is working on a June 1 deadline. If the money isn’t raised by then, plans to open in the fall may go on hold.

But the committee is still moving ahead with organizing a school board, which will in turn hire a principal and begin establishing policies and the curriculum for the school.

The school initially will have about 130 students in kindergarten through 5th grade, and use classrooms at St. Thomas Catholic Church. Burns said surveys of area parishes show enough interest to enroll more children, but the school wants to start small.

Tuition may be $1,700 to $1,800 per year, but that won’t cover the estimated $2,600 cost per student, requiring private fund-raising to close the gap, Burns said.

Tickets for the St. Patrick’s Day dance are on sale for $10 at Burt’s Music and Sound or through the school’s volunteer hotline, 765-6110. The dance will be at the Eagles in Coeur d’Alene. The doors open at 6 and the band starts at 8 p.m.

Raffle tickets will be on sale at the dance and through the hotline, at T.W. Fisher’s Brew Pub, Auto Classics and Tomorrow’s Image Styling Salon.