QOTW: September 4, 2009

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Me, to my husband.

The reality is this. Fund raising is a thankless job. Scott has JOYFULLY been raising funds for various causes since 1996. First for A&M as an intern, then for Iowa State as a student volunteer, then came National FFA, the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis and now for the Catholic Diocese of Austin.

Some of you might think raising money is easy. I’m here to tell you spending it is easy, but raising it is not. When was the last time you confidently strolled to lunch with a potential donor and asked them to make a sacrificial gift of $3-million or $1,000 – and everything in between? Scott does it every week. While his name won’t be on any plaque for his hard work or mentioned in a newsletter for his hours of dedication or his shoulder squeezed for a job well done – I know that what he does makes a difference. Every hour of every day, Scott glorifies God in his work.

That’s worth a thank you in my book, any day of the week.

22% of the annual operating budget of the Diocese rests on his shoulders. So do the major capital campaigns throughout our 125-parish Diocese – parishes, schools, conferences. He is the “stewardship boss” as one of our friends so eloquently said. People often forget to thank him. They think money just grows on trees or that when they ask him to just get $50K for an event it’s no big shake.

Because of my sweet husband’s leadership…

High school students get to walk through the doors of a brand-new Catholic high school in north Austin.

Priests have a place to call home during their retirement years.

Seminarians will never have to ignore the calling to the priesthood because of a lack of funds for their education.

Hundreds of thousands of children will be taught about the Catholic faith by well-trained catechists.

Parishes will be able to call a physical building a home.

And so many more…

No doubt, he has an amazing team at the office, but every team needs a leader – one with vision, one with leadership and one with compassion. Scott has all three.

Sweetheart, I love what you do and how it has shaped you as a professional, as a man, as a father and as a husband. You are loved and appreciated. Your name is written in a heavenly book that sits at God’s bedside table. No doubt.