The Archdiocese of Louisville is once again a top contributor to the WHAS Crusade for Children, helping the 70th annual fundraiser to its second-highest collection total. The telethon wrapped up the evening of June 4 with a total of total $6,232,176.70.
Parishes took up collections to support the fundraiser May 27 and 28. Their contributions totaled $233,777, positioning the archdiocese as the second-highest contributor among organizations. Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and Chancellor Dr. Brian B. Reynolds announced the archdiocese’s collection totals on the telethon June 4.
According to the announcements, the top parish contributions came from the following Jefferson County parishes: Holy Spirit Church with $62,798, St. Albert the Great Church with $11,607 and St. Margaret Mary Church with $11,057.
The top parish contributions outside Jefferson County were from Immaculate Conception Church in La Grange, Ky., with $6,244; St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., with $5,538 and St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Ky., with $3,555.
These totals were expected to change as donations continued to arrive after the telethon ended.
Holy Spirit’s contribution was bolstered by a $60,000 donation made by parishioner Terry Hickey, whose parents were involved in the first telethons. Hickey, who has cerebral palsy, told Crusade President and CEO Dawn Lee in a video that his parents helped organize the forerunner to the Crusade, a telethon for children with cerebral palsy.
Today, the Crusade uses 100 percent of the donations to fund grants to schools, hospitals and agencies “that make life better for children with special needs,” according to a press release from the Crusade. It awarded 216 grants in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the release said.
