BLESSFEST SUCCESS: St. John the Baptist Parish in Howard held its fifth annual Blessfest on Sunday, Sept. 8, on the parish grounds. The event featured food prepared and served by Knights of Columbus Council #6279, baked goods from the Catholic Women/Christian Mothers of the parish and ice-cold beverages from the St. John the Baptist Booster Club.
Blessfest offered a variety of activities to engage participants of all ages, including carnival games, face painting, pedal kart races, a cookie walk, an inflatable bungee run, raffle baskets and a silent auction.
This year’s event raised $27,100 for the St. John the Baptist information technology upgrade. A $25,000 match brought the total to $52,100.
Support for Blessfest 2024 included 162 registered volunteers, 120 food and supply donations, $10,500 from “Saints of Blessfest Sponsors” and $650 in anonymous donations.
AMBASSADOR OF PEACE AWARD RECIPIENTS: Tony Pichler and Deacon Steve Meyer were presented with the St. Norbert Ambassador of Peace Award on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Cassandra Voss Center on the campus of St. Norbert College De Pere. Honoring Norbert of Xanten’s legacy of reconciliation, each year the Norman Miller Center at St. Norbert College recognizes individuals who have been influential advocates for sustainable peace in the world.
Twenty years ago, Pichler and Deacon Meyer founded StreetLights Outreach, described as “a feet-on-the-street outreach ministry designed to provide a positive presence in at-risk neighborhoods; personally encounter people as they are, where they are without judgment; engage people on the margins with the dignity of conversation and community; and provide assistance and support where it is needed and welcomed.”
StreetLights Outreach led to Pichler and Deacon Meyer founding Whatsoever You Do, Inc., a nonprofit that relies solely on volunteers and donations to serve some of the most marginalized people in the Green Bay area community. In addition to StreetLights Outreach, Whatsoever You Do, Inc. operates four other programs: Spokes of Hope, Amani Outreach, Giving Garden and Spirit Way. For more information, visit Whatsoever You Do, Inc.
Pichler serves as mission outreach director at Resurrection Parish in Allouez. Deacon Meyer, who was ordained to the diaconate for the Diocese of Green Bay in 2006, serves as a deacon at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Green Bay.
CATHOLIC CHARITIES RECEIVES GRANT: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay has received a grant from the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation. The funding will allow for individual and group financial health counseling to help households overcome obstacles and become self-sufficient.
The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation awarded $202,500 to support the work of 23 nonprofit organizations to address needs throughout the region. Awards were distributed through the Funds for Greater Green Bay summer grants cycle.
Funds for Greater Green Bay is a collection of funds that distributes grants twice per year to improve the quality of life in Brown, Kewaunee and Oconto counties.
Funds for Greater Green Bay offers grants of up to $20,000. The next application cycle will open Nov. 1, 2024, and will close Jan. 11, 2025. For more information about Greater Green Bay Community Foundation grant programs and the grants application process, visit Grants for Nonprofits | Greater Green Bay Community Foundation (ggbcf.org).
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP SEMIFINALISTS: Joseph Hunt and Owen Schwarten, seniors at Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay, were named semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Hunt and Schwarten can continue in the competition for 6,870 National Merit scholarships worth nearly $26 million. The scholarships will be awarded in the spring.
More than 1.3 million students from approximately 21,000 high schools entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test, which served as an initial screen of entrants. To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application in which they provide information about the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.