Supporters invited to ‘let their light shine’ as first dinner kicks off public phase of DPAA
Laura Keener
Editor
The public phase of the Diocesan Parish Annual Appeal kicked-off, March 3, with the first of two dinners. Over 50 people gathered with Bishop John Iffert, Lisa Knochelmann, DPAA general chair and Dr. Greg Salzman, DPAA leadership gifts chair, at Blue Licks State Park for the event.
Before the dinner, guests perused a mini-ministry fair with eight diocesan offices and 3 community ministries benefiting from the DPAA sharing their good works.
With her involvement leading the DPAA this year and last year, Mrs. Knochelmann said, “I’ve learned more about many of the organizations that the campaign helps support. It’s a blessing to hear their stories and see the good works they do.”
The theme for this year’s DPAA is “Live as Children of Light,” from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (5:8–9): “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”
“When I read that Scripture, I can’t help thinking of that great proclamation also from the Gospels, ‘you are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. Let your light shine,’” Bishop Iffert told attendees.
This year, in addition to monetary goals each parish has been assigned a participation goal. According to Jennifer Cox, DPAA secretary, the DPAA team has been noticing a trend. Each year, while the DPAA monetary goal is greatly exceeded, fewer parishioners have been making pledges.
“By giving a participation goal, we thought it would encourage those that just want to get started,” she said, encouraging everyone to give a little.
The participation goal is calculated using last year’s number of parishioner participants and adding five percent. It’s important to note that an increase in participation and any increase in DPAA monetary donations does not affect a parish’s future DPAA goal. Instead, DPAA goals are calculated using a three-year average of a parish’s weekly collections. Also, like in year’s past, all monies collected over and above a parish’s goal is rebated back to the parish for parish projects.
At the dinner, Dr. Salzman announced that the DPAA’s first phase, the leadership gifts phase, has raised $690,065 in pledges from 146 donors towards the DPAA’s $2.754 million goal. During the leadership gifts phase, 50 solicitors reached out to the top 250 donors of last year’s DPAA asking them to match or increase their gift to the DPAA.
“To those who have already donated and committed, we say ‘Thank You,’” said Dr. Salzman.
The second DPAA kick-off dinner is planned for March 5 at Receptions, Erlanger. Other important dates are announcement weekend, March 14–15 and commitment weekend, March 21–22, both in parishes.
