Catholic school in Chillicothe, Ill., saved by college student's fundraising effort
At St. Edward Catholic School, they call it the "Miracle in Chillicothe."
The school in Chillicothe, Ill., was forced to close its doors this summer when asbestos was discovered, and was looking at shutting down permanently because it couldn't afford the more than $500,000 in necessary repairs, The Quincy Herald-Whig reports. The parish was given a week to come up with the money.
That's when Gino Grivetti, a student at Quincy University and a St. Edward alumnus, decided he had to do something. He created a page on gofundme.com to raise money to repair the school building.
The campaign netted $100,000 in 24 hours and $500,000 in one week, and the school has been saved.
"I've been reminding people I did not save the school," says Grivetti. " I did not donate $500,000. All these members of the community saved the school. What I did, if I did anything, is I believed in these people first."
While the St. Edward building is being repaired, the Chillicothe Bible Church stepped forward to provide classroom space for the 100 or so displaced students—including Grivetti's younger brother and sister.
Had the school been unable to reopen, the loss would have been "a major part of our Catholic identity here," St. Edward Principal Mark Domico says. "Gino took it upon himself to publicize this, and then the parents, the parishioners and the community took ownership."
