Washington, DC – The Lasallian Volunteers outreach program celebrated the completion of a $300,000 challenge grant from the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation of St. Paul, MN. The money was awarded to expand Lasallian Volunteer outreach to the poor, especially at the middle school level. The grant and matching funds financed a remarkable first stage of growth for the Lasallian ministry.

Today more Lasallian Volunteers serve more of America’s most impoverished children and families. From 1995-2004, the program comprised an average of 31 volunteers in 18 ministries; today, 48 Lasallian Volunteers serve in 27 ministries, more than half of them in new “Miguel Schools” at the middle school level. Enhanced recruitment, funded directly by the grant, this year brought the largest group of new recruits ever. The volunteer retention rate has also grown. Twelve Lasallian Volunteers are in their second year, with 72 LV Alums continuing in Lasallian ministries all across America.

Included in the O’Shaughnessy Foundation’s grant was a challenge to develop a funding base for continued growth into the future. Their endorsement generated a steep rise in the number of investors and their level of support. Three years after the original grant, the Program has raised more than $360,000 in matching funds from more than 850 sources. Investors range from the hundreds of small donors for the recent “LV Marathon” runners to Leadership Donors (over $1,000).

Before 2002 the smaller program had been underwritten almost totally by the De La Salle Christian Brothers to enhance their outreach to the poor. O’Shaughnessy momentum guaranteed the first stage of a five year plan, beginning in 2004, to double the size and impact of the LV Program. New schools opening with more Lasallian Volunteers required new funding streams. Continued growth in fundraising will enable continued recruitment and retention, providing for the support of 60 volunteers by 2009.

The O’Shaughnessy Foundation’s endorsement and funding catapulted the Lasallian Volunteer Program to a new level of ministry. The matching donors completed the process, generating a real success story in service to the poor.