Forward, Always Forward A Campaign for Benedictine Military School
spring 2023
Mission Accomplished! Benedictine Military School closes the largest fundraising effort in the school’s history;
$23.7 million raised for academics, endowment, and facilities respect to supply chain issues. Nevertheless, in spite of it all, they managed to find a way to get the job done, and I am massively grateful for them.
The Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign, which publicly began in August 2014 with a goal of $12 million, has successfully ended with $23.7 million raised. The wildly successful capital campaign is the largest project in the 121-year history of the school, and its mission has been accomplished without incurring long-term debt. This doesn’t include the annual Benedictine Fund (for operating expenses) which has grown 105% during the campaign. The Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign, which articulated a bold vision to strengthen every dimension of the school, was driven by the leadership of Benedictine Military School Headmaster Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz, O.S.B., and fueled by the financial support of the BC family. That combination has resulted in the transformation of our campus. “I can’t say enough for the support that we have received to make so many of these changes possible in such a relatively short amount of time,” Ziemkiewicz said. “And I have our stakeholders, our alums, our parents, our benefactors, to
“To that extent, they – and I say they, I mean our donors, our contractors, our architects – have gone shoulder-to-shoulder to create a campus that is so beneficial to our students and their learning,” Ziemkiewicz continued. “And the results show for themselves. For example, our academics, because we thank for that. It just wouldn’t have excited to see this vision, to dream have been able to provide happened without them.” with us about what the future of for the facilities thanks to so Benedictine Military School could many donors, we have been able Benedictine Military School look like. It was inspirational to to gain our students admission Director of Advancement Greg see them step forward and make to our highest universities. These Markiton ’92 said Ziemkiewicz’s these transformational gifts. Over a students have graduated with vision and the incredibly generous thousand donors coming together, pride and stand to be strong support of the BC family made collectively, locked arm-in-arm, contributors to the Savannah, dreams become reality at 6502 hand-in-hand, with a common Georgia, and national communities Seawright Drive. purpose, and a common direction, in the future. So many of our and a common vision, to make students have gained admission “The success of this campaign Benedictine a better version of to our military academies, and boiled down to two things: 1. itself. All of these projects are we take considerable pride in Vision and 2. The incredible finished and will not leave any our contribution to our national dedication and belief that the long-term debt with the school.” defense, not only in the near members of the BC family had future, but in years to come. The in that vision,” Markiton said. “It “I am grateful for the great fact that this Catholic school has was Fr. Frank who, in his early competency that our architect, Pat been able to attract the support of days at BC, began to ask us the Shay, and his firm, Thomas and our archabbey allows us to fulfill question, ‘What is Benedictine Hutton, and their engineering that commitment, that charge Military School going to look like expertise have brought into this that we were given, to spread the in 2020?’ And if we’re not asking picture,” Ziemkiewicz said. “Again, word. I’d like to think that this that question, and thinking about so much of this just wouldn’t have school with a soul continues on a that, then the school is not going happened without them. They mission.” to change. We’re not going to were efficient. They were diligent ultimately fulfill our mission the in controlling costs, and in terms Markiton said he remembers a way God has designed us to be of their relationship with our meeting early on in the campaign here. contractors, in particular Vince where “Fr. Frank and I, and a loyal Ferraro and Mahany Construction, board member, met with a loyal “And then, secondly, I truly believe Danny Pinyan from The Pinyan donor here at BC who has given that the Benedictine Military Company; these people were to the school, generously, for the School family, our alumni, our just incredibly cooperative and last several decades. He’s been a parents, our parents of alumni, competent. And they were working loyal annual fund donor. And that our board, they were hungry under considerable difficulties, gentleman, at that meeting, made a to see BC succeed in this way,” particularly these last several years commitment of $100,000 Markiton continued. “They were so with respect to COVID and with Article continued on page 2. SEE PAGE 2 FOR THE LIST OF COMPLETED PROJECTS