Partners bolster growth at St. Martins school

St. Martins School disciples have not only the support of their parish and their educators, but also many area businesses, which provide funds, services and kindness.
St. Martins School disciples have not only the support of their parish and their educators, but also many area businesses, which provide funds, services and kindness.

As Catholic schools across Mid-Missouri celebrate Catholic Schools Week, the growing parish school in St. Martins has seen great benefits from its business and community partners.

Jefferson City Chick-fil-A owner Tom Van Voorn found a shared interest in Principal Eddie Mulholland.

"Eddie and I share the passion that it is our responsibility to provide the necessary tools in order to give the St. Martins disciples the best possible opportunity to succeed," Van Voorn said.

The school's motto is: "To Teach a life of Prayer, Leadership, Service and Kindness through Catholic Education."

And Chick-fil-A's vision is: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A."

"Each of our statements complements each other, so becoming a partner in education was a no-brainer," Van Voorn said.

Unlike Van Voorn, who met the principal less than two years ago, Gary Wilbers with Ascend Business Strategies has known Mulholland for years.

Wilbers shared Jon Gordon's book "The Energy Bus" as well as many related conversations with Mulholland after he was named principal. Although he didn't know much about St. Martins Catholic School, Wilbers said he saw right away the special atmosphere there.

"I remember the first year I did a presentation to his educators, sharing my passion I have about Catholic schools, and I could feel the energy; the educators had a passion to educate the children in their school," Wilbers said.

As a parishioner at St. Martins, Phil Hutchcraft, owner of Colton's Steakhouse and Grill in Jefferson City, said he knew the school was well run and full of good people, even before becoming a business partner last year.

"I was intrigued by his ideas to get people more involved and to leverage the energy and expertise of a diverse group of people," Hutchcraft said of Mulholland.

Colton's has greeted disciples arriving for school and provided motivational talks, handing out pens and pencils and providing a free dessert for each student and teacher's birthday. The restaurant also caters some school functions and hosts a spirit night, where a percentage of the local restaurant's sales are donated to the school.

"We created the "jaguar burger' based on input from the school families, and a dollar for each one sold goes back to the school," Hutchcraft said. "It is nice to see people work together for such a good cause."

With children in the school, Mike and Dana Southard of TurnKey Mobile Inc. had been involved on a parental level for several years. So when Mulholland asked them to join in support as a business partner, they could not say "no," she said.

The Southards have shared their technology expertise throughout the school, specifically redoing the computer lab.

They've added a front door security camera and significantly discounted software. TurnKey also hosted a retreat for the educators.

"Our technology department is growing into something we should all be very proud of," Southard said. "We have been quite fortunate as a school with the addition of a whole new network, updated Internet and wireless access points, new workstations in the computer lab, and a mobile cart for the classrooms.

"This was all made possible through donations to the school from other partners."

John and Tracy Chouinard with Luetkemeyer Signs also are parents of St. Martins Jaguars, and they are alumni. Their business partnership with the school is one of the longest held, starting with their expertise in signs.

"Private schools do not have the complete resources they need, so partners in education have a responsibility to fill that gap to the best of their abilities," Van Voorn said.

The Chick-fil-A partnership has helped the school update the cafeteria and add instruments for a renewed band program.

They also have helped the students in their own fundraising efforts through calendar sales, spirit nights, a fish fry, a summer picnic and a fall supper.

Wilbers has provided inspirational sessions for educators and junior high leaders.

"The energy and excitement within the school is contagious, and that is spilling out into their community," Wilbers said.

Business owners say they enjoy partnering with the schools.

"For me, being a partner in education is not about what I get in return, it is about my responsibility, to the best of my ability, to share what I have been blessed with through efforts to ensure our younger generation has the necessary tools to be successful in all facets of life," Van Voorn said.

The Southards said they hope this partnership inspires their individual employees to be more involved with their personal schools and organizations.