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The year brought another successful Catholic Schools Raffle at St. Theodore Elementary School. Teachers,  staff and the surrounding community of Albert Lea united with students and their families to raise a total of $13,566 for the school.  

Since Jan. 14, students of St. Theodore Elementary School have been selling $5 raffle tickets as part  of the Catholic Schools Raffle, a fundraising program provided free of charge by sponsor Catholic United  Financial since 2009. St. Theodore Elementary School is one of 86 schools in Minnesota and South  Dakota that were involved in 2022. Before that January start date, school leadership set an ambitious  fundraising goal. Catholic United Financial provided all promotional materials, raffle tickets and prizes  for the program at no cost. As the tickets were sold and money came in, families and staff counted their  total. They were excited knowing that they keep every dollar their school raised. The six-week selling  period concluded on Feb. 27.  

“Since we started this raffle in 2009, over $12.6 million has been raised for participating Catholic  schools. We are incredibly proud that 100% of the total money raised has gone directly to the  students, parents, faculty and administrators who have helped make this program such an unqualified  success,” said Mike Ahles, president of Catholic United Financial. 

On Thursday the raffle officially concluded with a prize drawing ceremony broadcasted live on the  Catholic United Financial website. The prizes, valued at over $45,000, included a new 2022 Ford Escape  SUV, a dream vacation, Traeger Grill and grill set, smart TVs and more. Catholic United also rewarded  the hard work of the top selling student at St. Theodore Elementary School with a Baby Yoda LEGO set  prize and the chance at $500. St. Theodore Elementary School contributed to a grand total of  about $1.42 million for Catholic Education. 

Funds raised by participating schools, like St. Theodore Elementary School, are used to enhance school  programs and facilities, including funding field trips, building playgrounds, supplementing tuition costs  and providing new education technology.  

Video, photos and a list of prizewinners and results are available at:  www.catholicunitedfinancial.org/raffle.   

Catholic United Financial is a not-for-profit financial cooperative that has served Catholics in the Upper  Midwest since 1878. The company provides life insurance and retirement products for its 80,000 members  and returns a portion of its profits to local communities through programs like the Catholic Schools Raffle,  Post-High School Tuition Scholarship, Gather4Good® service events, and more. Based in St. Paul, Catholic United helps its members plan for every step of their life journey.