Martyr Marathon 2022: The Results are In
Thank you to our generous families, friends and sponsors!
As we celebrate our 30th year as a school, we are thrilled to share record breaking results of our 2022 Martyr Marathon! We have so much to celebrate and to be thankful for. Our families, sponsors, leadership and Martyr Marathon Committee who planned this event are second to none. We are privileged to have each of you as part of our school community. Thanks to you, we raised a grand total of $150,307.15!
Support Our Sponsors
18th Annual Martyr Marathon
Friday, September 23rd at 10:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Martyr Marathon is our school’s largest fundraiser of the year. Students earn money for the school by walking the marathon route. Students are encouraged to collect pledges from family, friends, neighbors, or businesses to support their effort. Donors then pledge a flat donation in support of our school. We're using a web-based fundraising system, PledgeStar, that makes it MUCH EASIER for you to request pledges from your family and friends, and for them to make secure, credit card donations online. It's fun, it's easy and people who use it typically raise twice as much as those who don't!
View Martyr Marathon Packet
Let's Party Like It's 1992
You will register as a family. Families with multiple students will have their totals split among their children. Martyr Marathon is September 23rd, so please REGISTER NOW to help our school raise as much as we can for the continuation of security, technology, and operational upgrades.
- Go to http://pledgestar.com/Martyr
- Click on “Not Registered For This Year’s Event”
- Enter your name and email address (of the parent/guardian), then click “Register”
- Follow the on-screen instructions to verify your email address, add your student walker(s) and enter family and friends to receive pledge/donation requests.
Once your PledgeStar registration is complete, the system will email or text pledge/donation requests to family and friends which allows them to make secure, credit card donations online, or they can use the ‘pay by check’ option and they will receive instructions by email or text from PledgeStar. Additional family and friends can be added later as well.
Other exciting features: You can share your fundraising page via social media, you will get notified each time a pledge/donation is made, you can track your fundraising progress online, and a thank you note from your child will automatically be sent to those who donate online.
Non-Electronic Fundraising: We encourage each family to set up a PledgeStar page, however, families can also donate via cash/check, using this optional fundraising sheet. Checks should be made payable to “SSM Home and School” and sent to St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School, 16701 S Street, Omaha NE 68135, in an envelope marked “Martyr Marathon” with the child’s name in the memo no later than September 23, 2022. If you need receipts to give your donors collected outside of PledgeStar, please email our committee at martyrmarathon@gmail.com.
Why Should Your Family Fundraise?! Of course, the main reason to fundraise is to provide necessary funds for our school. But we all love a little extra incentive now and then! Our Martyr Marathon committee, with the support from generous donors, has put together tons of prizes to help motivate students, teachers & families! Check out the “Prize, Prizes & More Prizes” section below to see what students, teachers & families can earn and/or win!
Fundraising begins Thursday, September 1st and continues until Martyr Marathon on Friday, September 23rd.
**If you need help setting up your PledgeStar page, contact Alia Creason at aliajacklitch@gmail.com or 402-880-4395**
What will the money raised this year go toward? Your support allows our Home & School Association to continue funding programs and events that help make our school an outstanding educational institution for our children, including technology upgrades, teacher grants, student scholarships and much more. Last year we were able to purchase 60 wing desks, additional flexible seating options, curriculum support such as Simple Solutions Math & English workbooks, two new security cameras, and much more.
How do students collect pledges and raise money?
Ask friends and family! PledgeStar is back! This year we are again using PledgeStar, an online fundraising tool that makes it much easier for your child to request pledges and secure donations from family and friends - both near and far.
When does the walk/event begin and what does it entail?
The event will be held Friday, September 23, 2022. Students in TK* through 8th grade will walk from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Below is a more detailed schedule for parents, volunteers, teachers and students:
- 8:15-9:00 AM: Join the students for all school Mass (optional)
- 9:00-9:45 AM: Following Mass parents & volunteers can proceed to the GPC (building south of the church) for coffee & donuts. Volunteers can check in & pick up their t-shirts.
- 9:45 AM: Volunteers head to their designated duty per their sign-up
- 10:00 AM: Parents line up on various spots along the route to “cheer on” the students/teachers
- 10:00 AM: “Kickoff Party” (students, faculty and designated volunteers only)
- 10:30 - 11:30 AM: Official start and end of the Martyr Marathon all-school walk
- 11:30 - 11:45 AM: Post-walk party with bubbles, popcorn and music for all in the East parking lot
- 11:45 AM: Students return to classrooms to collect personal belongings
- Noon: School dismissal
Spirit Competition! Each class will be participating in a spirit competition to showcase their school spirit. This will be pre-recorded and performed in the GPC prior to the event. Special judges will determine First, Second and Third Place winners. Teachers of the winning class won’t be disappointed. There are prizes for those teachers as well!
What is the walking route? The walking route will begin in the SSM North parking lot. Students will exit out the North doors, take a left, and proceed west around the church. Students will then exit the South parking lot and turn left onto “V” Street. Students will then proceed up “V” Street turning left on to S. 166th Street. Students will continue to walk down S. 166th St., turning left into the East parking lot. There will be fun stations set up along the route where classes will rotate through. And lastly, popcorn! Popcorn will be handed out to the classes at the conclusion of the walk.
What is our 2022 Fundraising Goal?
This year, our All-School Goal is $65,000 and we know we can do it with your help! If we reach this goal as a school (including Preschool, Pre-K and TK students), each student will receive a goal bag full of gift cards, coupons, and other kid-friendly goodies. Also, the students will earn a day off of school on April 6th! Families with multiple students will have their totals split among their children for class prize level determination.
Class Competitions: Classes will compete within their grade-level to see who can raise the most; First, Second and Third Place honors will be awarded to each grade based on who raises the most money; the First-Place class (top fundraiser) in each grade will receive a class party.
Spirit Competition: Each class will participate in a spirit competition to showcase their school spirit. Special judges will determine First, Second and Third Place winners. Teachers of the winning class won’t be disappointed. There are prizes for those teachers as well!
Weekly Prize Giveaways: There will be weekly prize giveaways for ALL Students; plus, the student to raise the most money using PledgeStar will earn a special surprise for Mrs. Perrault and Mr. Verraneault. Last year, they were a human ice cream sundae!
Family Goal Prize: If your family raises your family goal (see below), you will receive a St. Stephen the Martyr Sunglasses.
2021 Family Goals:
- Families with 1 student: $90
- Families with 2 students: $150
- Families with 3 or more students: $205
- All SSM families that raise at least $250 will qualify as a Family Sponsor and will be listed in a parish-wide letter in the bulletin.
Bonus Prizes: But wait, there’s more - the more you raise the more you earn! If your family raises more than your family goal, you will receive not only the sunglasses, but also the below bonus prizes. 2022 Bonus Prizes:
- $275 - SSM Umbrella
- $475 - SSM Umbrella + SSM Winter Beanie
- $750 - SM Umbrella + SSM Winter Beanie + Utility Tote
Martyr Marathon Facebook Page and Blitz Prizes: Starting September 2nd, we will give away daily prizes in our Facebook group (SSM Martyr Marathon)! Each day up until the event we will post fun questions for prize giveaways! Join our group to find out more!
Want to make a bigger impact? Does your employer have a Matching Gift policy? It’s a great way to make your donation go even further. Please reach out to martyrmarathon@gmail.com for a letter on behalf of St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic School along with the IRS 501©(3) letter to submit to your company if they have not previously matched. Some companies that have matched in the past include Union Pacific, First Data, 3M, Mutual of Omaha, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Raytheon.
FREE Swag: All students will receive a water bottle and a t-shirt to wear during the Martyr Marathon or Preschool/Pre-K dance party. Bonus: These shirts can be worn all year long on Martyr Mondays!
We need volunteers like you to make our 18th Annual Martyr Marathon a success! We are encouraging parents to volunteer for specific outdoor fun stations that they will be at for the duration of the walk. We also are encouraging parents to come out and stand along the route and cheer on our students.
All signed-up volunteers will receive a Martyr Marathon t-shirt (while supplies last). We hope to see you there!
We are so grateful for our 2022-2023 Corporate Sponsors who have contributed! Please support these area businesses and thank them for their generosity!
Premier
- Platte River Concrete
- Smile Station Pediatric Dentistry
Diamond
- Champion Windows
- Cypress XM
- Investor Realty
- Quality Dental Care
Platinum
- Skutt Catholic High School
Gold
- Action Batteries Unlimited
- DJ’s Dugout
- Duchesne Academy
- Dustin Ourada-Farmer’s Insurance
- Exterior Model and Design
- Eye Consultants PC
- Frontier Bank
- Frost Periodontics & Dental Implants
- Fusion Dance Omaha
- Husker Dock & Lift
- Nebraska Dance
- Patera Landscaping
- Phoenix Restoration Services
- TJ O’Leary, Berkshire Hathaway Realtor
Silver
- Mount Michael Benedictine School
BRONZE
- Belcher Family Dentistry
- Boys Town Pediatrics
- Darland Construction Co.
- Mama’s Pizza
- Performance Chiropractic
- Tiburon Golf Club
- XTreme Recognition
Please make sure that your child has their permission slips handed into the school office by September 19th! If your child does not have a permission slip on file, your child will not be able to participate in the walk. There was a permission slip in the Back to School Packet you received at Back to School Night. Please fill that out and return to school. You can also print the form here.
For questions, please contact the committee at martyrmarathon@gmail.com.