By Nick Vendikos
Director of Development
Recently, the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in 6 games to win the NBA World Championship and bring the Bay Area its first basketball championship in over 40 years.
Their mantra to the title was “Strength in Numbers” as a knowing salute to their boisterous supporters who are unanimously recognized as the most loyal fan base in professional basketball.
That got me thinking about the striking similarities between the new world champs and Futures in Education:
Both organizations boast incredible fan bases and live off of the “Strength in Numbers” motto.
In 2014, the students entrusted to Futures care totaled over 5,000 and contributed approximately $8 million toward Catholic education in Brooklyn and Queens. Our Angels program had over 600 sponsors supporting over 750 students for a total amount of $1.4 million.
Both teams have incredible leadership. The Warriors are coached by Steve Kerr who won multiple championships playing next to Hall of Famers Michael Jordan in Chicago and Tim Duncan in San Antonio.
In the case of Futures, our Hall of Famer is Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, the Vicar for Development of the Diocese of Brooklyn. Futures in Education has provided over 65,000 scholarships to over 24,000 students in the past 25 years! In 25 years $70 million has been awarded to students and in the past seven years alone nearly $45 million.
Like the Warriors’ offense, Futures must continue to be innovative. We continue to search for exciting ways to raise money so no child will be turned away from a Catholic education in Brooklyn and Queens due to financial hardships. We must continue to attract All-Star players (or donors) who believe in our mission and recognize that losing is not an option.
The Golden State players and the Futures in Education employees don’t come to work everyday for accolades or parades. We don’t have jobs; we have vocations. We work for opportunities — not for ourselves but for those kids in our Catholic school classrooms today and tomorrow.
So please get involved. The Warriors proved that depth — “Strength in Numbers” — equates to being the best of the best.
Your support by visiting HERE will provide us with the benefactor depth we so desperately need.