CBA raises over $128K for tuition fund

On Thursday, May 14, the Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) held an adapted version of its third “Bronation Day.”

The school’s annual fundraiser is typically a day of games and celebration as students help raise money for their school. The event was canceled after all schools in the state were shut down due to concerns over the coronavirus virus. Still, the show must go on. The CBA faculty developed “Bronation TV,” a 16-hour, non-stop fundraising program streamed live through the school’s Facebook page and on its website. 

“Hopefully some of this is making families smile a little bit,” said James Schlegel, president of CBA.

They school and the families should smile after the event raised an amazing $128,034 from 624 gifts. Donations came in from coast to coast - one from Seattle and another from Florida - many from past students. 

In the last few years, the fundraiser has helped pay for renovations to the school’s hallways and laboratories. This year, the fundraiser was going to be for an outdoor seating area for CBA seniors, but that all changed when the virus hit. Now, all the donations will be going toward tuition assistance for CBA families.

A number of the students' families are small-business owners, Schlegel said, many of whom are worried about sustaining their work throughout the pandemic. “We didn't want this to disrupt their education,” he said. “They’ve really been impacted by this. They’ve been through a lot.” 

The fundraiser began at 8 a.m. on Thursday and ran until midnight. Both students and faculty filled in the program’s time slots with virtual two-mile runs, video competitions, zoom trivia for families and students, sports highlights and CBA student shout-outs. 

“A lot of people are saddened by what’s happened,” Schlegel said. “A lot of alumni are thinking back to these days, and the best days of their lives, and … they want to make sure everybody can stay.”