John Conroy may only be in eighth grade, but he is already impacting lives.
On Saturday morning, the 14-year-old St. Francis Xavier student held a fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul’s 49-bed bridge shelter, Ozanam Manor, at Funugyz, a sports grill in Peoria. He did the planning and promoting all on his own.
His original lofty goal was to raise $300. He ended up raising almost $500.
“It was an amazing experience,” he said. “This is probably the biggest project I’ve ever done.”
Part of the school’s curriculum, the Arrupe Project encourages students to raise money for worthy causes. The eighth graders start by completing chores or other work for friends and family and earning $10. The school matches that amount through grants and the students then use those funds to organize fundraisers.
The first step for John was figuring out which charity he would choose. A previous volunteer, he knew right away he wanted to donate to St. Vincent de Paul.
“I was going through the different programs that the organization has, when I found Ozanam Manor,” he said. “It really spoke to me because I thought it was just great what they do for older homeless people.”
The shelter offers housing to an especially vulnerable group of adults: those older than 50 and the disabled.
Once he decided on Ozanam Manor, John learned which items the shelter more needs: pillows, toiletries and bedding. He will use all the money to buy the items and deliver them personally. There, he will get a tour of the shelter and meet some of the residents.
Mike Bell, the director of Ozanam Manor, said he was really impressed with John’s generosity.
“I’m very pleased and a little amazed that John found us,” he said. “Our guests typically have no income when they come to us and they will really appreciate the toiletries and nice bedding!”
Just after noon on Saturday, John said he was a little nervous because he did not know how many people would show up. He didn’t need to be worried. His dad’s friend agreed to host the event at his restaurant, and to donate a percentage of the proceeds to his fundraiser.
Sitting nearby, his parents watched John in action as he visited with patrons and asked if they wanted a ticket for one of his two raffles of gift baskets full of goodies.
Cate, his mom, said it was quite an experience, not just for John, but for the whole family.
“John grew so much out of this process,” she said. “He learned so much from it and he couldn’t be happier to be helping St. Vincent de Paul. We couldn’t be prouder.”
After the successful event, John can’t wait to bring his donation to Ozanam Manor.
“The fundraiser was mind blowing,” he said. “But the part I’m most excited about is actually delivering them. Hopefully they will help.”
They definitely will.
