Third annual Joy of Giving supports and celebrates Catholic organizations across northeast Nebraska

Sacred Heart Parish in Norfolk set an ambitious fundraising goal of $20,000 for this year’s Joy of Giving but didn’t really expect to reach that goal. Much to their surprise, they exceeded it by 35%, raising more than $27,000.

Nick Benes, development coordinator at Sacred Heart, said they were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from generous donors.

“It went much better than any of us could have expected,” said Nick Benes, development coordinator at Sacred Heart. “I’ve been trying to pin down how we were so successful. I think one thing that myself and the rest of our parish office staff have discussed is we really felt like our fundraising goals were mission-oriented.”

Benes said the money raised would be for some projects in the parish office, including updating meeting rooms. They also plan to spruce up the front entry to make it more inviting to guests.

Sacred Heart was one of 150 parishes, schools, Catholic ministries and organizations that participated in the third annual Joy of Giving on April 26. The 24-hour online giving event sponsored by the Archdiocese of Omaha raised $613,311 from 1,922 donors. The event also showcased the critical work Catholic organizations do every day across the archdiocese’s 23 counties.

Joy of Giving has a service component, as well. Students at some Catholic grade schools wrote letters to residents of nursing homes. Other organizations sent employees to volunteer at food banks, homeless shelters and more.

St. Robert Bellarmine Parish and School in Omaha raised the most money at $86,587. It was followed by St. Margaret Mary Parish and School in Omaha at $63,338 and the Father Flanagan League Society of Devotion at $60,835. More information on the Joy of Giving can be found here.