The Xavier High School Foundation has officially changed its name to the Xavier Catholic Schools Foundation and expanded its purpose to raise and accept financial contributions to support all schools and early learning centers in the newly-established Xavier Catholic School system in the Cedar Rapids/Marion metro area.
The Xavier Catholic Schools Foundation is responsible for acquisition, investment, maintenance and disbursal of assets to provide a critical source of income to strengthen and advance Catholic education in our community. The Foundation oversees the advancement efforts to support families, teachers, and programming at all Xavier Catholic Schools. These include the planning and implementation of fundraising for the Xavier Catholic Schools Impact Fund (which consists of outreach to parishioners, school families, area businesses, and alumni). Additionally, the Foundation will manage donations for endowed scholarships, memorials, honorariums, planned giving, and matching gifts.
“As we align in mission and purpose as a new school system, it’s vital that our fundraising efforts are also aligned to support the strategic long-term vision we share as Xavier Catholic Schools,” states Chris McCarville, president of Xavier Catholic Schools. “Over the past 26 years, the Foundation has made a significant impact in helping Xavier High School deliver one of the best Catholic education in the country. Now, that same impact can be felt with all our Xavier Catholic Schools … from infants in early learning centers to high school graduates, who are positioned to achieve success in whatever path they choose to pursue.”
The Xavier Catholic Schools Foundation is currently located at Xavier High School and is led by Director, Mary Harken, who has served as the Advancement Director for the Xavier Foundation since 2017. Additional staff consists of Amy Thuente, Campaign & Marketing Manager, and Shari O’Rourke, Database Manager. The Foundation is also supported by the Xavier Catholic Schools Central Office and is overseen by its own board of directors.
Current Foundation board members include Archbishop Thomas Zinkula (Archbishop of Dubuque), David Schimberg (Chair), Mike Gannon (Vice Chair), Dave Stoltenberg (Treasurer), Rev. Dennis Conway (Pastoral Coordinator), Tracy Bastian, PJ Cosgrove, Maria Drees, Matt Evans, Tom Hoffmann, Brad Joens, Jill Reicks, Michelle Ridder, Cynthia Sueppel, Mike Stallman (Board Emeritus), and Gary Streit (Board Emeritus).
Xavier Catholic Schools are part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and currently consist of eight buildings: Xavier High School (Grades 9-12), Regis Middle School (Grades 6-8), LaSalle Catholic Middle School (Grades 5-8), LaSalle Catholic Elementary & ELC (Grades PK-4), St. Joseph School & ELC, Marion (Grades PK-8), All Saints Elementary & ELC (Grades PK-5), St. Matthew Elementary & ELC (Grades PK-5), and St. Pius X Elementary & ELC (Grades PK-5). The new school system was officially launched on July 1, 2024.
The Xavier Catholic Schools Foundation traces its roots back to 1977, when it was established as the Regis-LaSalle Foundation to raise money to provide long-range financial assistance to Regis High School and LaSalle High School in Cedar Rapids. Once Regis and LaSalle High Schools merged to form Xavier High School in 1998, the Regis-LaSalle Foundation became known as the Xavier (High School) Foundation.