Advancment Update

Most will know that our school is not owned by the Archdiocese, but did you know that it is no longer financially supported by the Sisters of St. Ann either? For the past decade, LFA has been “owned” by the Jane Rowan Society and overseen by a Board of Directors. However, the school—and what it has become—is owned by those who are connected to seeing it thrive: students, parents, alumnae, staff, and the Sisters of St. Ann.

We continually attract the most wonderfully accomplished and talented girls who gain so much from the education they’re given at LFA. Did you know that last year 100% of our graduates were accepted into post-secondary education? Or, that our choir—no longer just the Glee Club!—was the only Canadian high school choir to be invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York? Or, in an era when only about 8% of high school girls take Physics 12, 57% of our students take it? Did you know that our field hockey team has been in the provincial championship finals four of the last five years? We can all take pride in these recent accomplishments because, in part, the success of today’s students is owed to the culture of achievement and nurturing strong, well-rounded women that has grown here over 84 years.

The amazing opportunities we offer are only possible in an independent school because our community funds those possibilities. As an independent school, parents pay tuition to cover part of the cost of educating their daughters. We receive a government grant too. We receive no funds from the Archdiocese or the parishes from which our students come. The funding from tuition and government is, at best, sustaining. But ours is a school culture that seeks to reach, stretch and be the very best we can be. Our challenge is to fund an exceptional education, filled with opportunities—and to do so while staying true to our core value of providing an accessible education to our Catholic community.

Our strategy to ensure accessibility is simple. First, we make every effort to keep tuition as low as possible. Second, we commit ourselves to developing and expanding our bursary program. In response to this strategy, we want to let you know that the Little Flower Academy Foundation has been established. The Foundation will steward school endowment funds, which will provide guaranteed bursary support in perpetuity.

If you’ve ever thought about a gift to Little Flower Academy, I would be delighted to meet with you and have a conversation about how your gift, large or small, can make a difference to the students at LFA. Please call Ben at 604-738-9016 ext 290 or email at fitchb@lfabc.org or read about our Annual Fund.