Marian Magazine - Marian High School

Advancing the Mission of Marian
Dear Marian Family,
I have learned very quickly that there is never a dull moment at Marian. There has been a
flurry of activity over my first 10 months, and it is nice to take this chance to reflect on some
of the successes of the year. The Marian Fund reached new heights through the hard work
of hundreds of volunteers, including General Chairs Tom and Janet Nichting and under
the apt direction of Marian Fund Director, Sue Mickey. This was the second year in a row
in which we reached 100% participation by both our current Board of Directors and our
Faculty/Staff, which is a testament to their commitment to the mission and vision of the
school. Our annual fundraising events, The Lexus Champions for Marian Golf Tournament
and MarianFEST, overseen by Advancement Events Director Shari Gilg, also exceeded their
financial goals and provided endless opportunities for community building and fun. Thank
you again to the chairs of these events who made them possible!
Another exciting development this year was a reinvigoration of our alum base. Alumnae
Director Nancy Casey worked tirelessly to restructure Marian’s Alumnae Board. Once
formalized, each Board member was assigned to a specific alum event, which they are
able to take more ownership over, as well as recruit their own committees of alumnae
volunteers. One of the new events that the Board helped oversee, was at this year’s Field
Day. For the first time, Alumnae were greeted with a welcome tent, pictures and costumes
from prior Field Days, and given free admission to the event and breakfast. Nancy also
recruited city captains to host out-of-town alum gatherings across the nation. There are
now 10 cities with an “Out of Town Marian Alumnae Group.” (It was fun for me personally
to connect with Alums at the Chicago and Seattle kick-off events, so I know how much fun
these groups are going to continue to have!) A new mentorship pilot program , “Mpower,”
was also launched and paired up 16 now-senior students with alums in their preferred
career field. All of these new activities provide alumnae meaningful ways to engage in
Marian today and we are thrilled to see so many familiar faces back within our doors.
The final piece, which is the most exciting for me personally, is that Marian has broken
ground on the Mary Joy and Tal Anderson Performing Arts Center. What has been years
in the making will be ready in 14 short months for the young women of Marian to begin
utilizing during the 2013-2014 school year. It is only through the generosity of hundreds of
Marian supporters and the work of the campaign cabinet that this dream has been turned
into a reality. However, our efforts to raise the remaining funds needed to close the Spotlight
on Our Future campaign have not stopped. Marian recently rolled out new recognition
opportunities with a sponsor a seat program and commemorative stars, so please see the
enclosed article to learn more about these opportunities to take your place in the Spotlight!
Blessings,
Sarah C. Jank
Director of Advancement
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