Florida Catholic | Catholic Foundation of Central Florida

Marilyn Blanchette, President of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida.

Catholic Foundation names first president

Marilyn Blanchette will lead the diocese’s first-ever capital fund drive, “Alive in Christ”.

TERESA LANTIGUA PETERSON | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Published: 01.25.08

ORLANDO | The board of directors of the Catholic Foundation of Central Florida — the newly established organization charged with securing a strong financial future for the Diocese of Orlando — named Marilyn Blanchette as its first president.

Under Blanchette’s leadership, the Diocese of Orlando is creating an extraordinary opportunity to further the mission of the Catholic Church in central Florida by implementing the first-ever capital campaign, titled “Alive in Christ.” This campaign is an outgrowth of the 18-month Synod planning process that ran through summer 2006, during which more than 1,000 of Christ’s faithful, both lay and clergy, gathered to explore opportunities and define a new vision for the Diocese of Orlando.

The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida is an independent, charitable foundation responsible for raising, managing and distributing philanthropic funds to provide long-term, sustainable support for the parishes, schools, agencies and life-changing ministries across the nine-county Diocese of Orlando.

A major goal of the Catholic Foundation is to increase the vital resources needed to support and enhance key ministries of the church, such as Catholic schools and Catholic Charities of Central Florida Inc. The social service network is expanding its role as a major provider of services that meets the many needs of the lowly, the poor in spirit and the hungry, regardless of their religious, social or economic backgrounds.

“The Alive in Christ campaign will enable the Diocese of Orlando to transform the church and the communities we serve,” Blanchette said. “The campaign will create an unprecedented new collaboration with parishes to help them achieve their most pressing priorities, and it will engage and unite our entire church around a compelling call to realize the mission and vision to which God calls us.”

The foundation will advance the church’s mission to encourage stewardship among individuals, families and others through generous giving; safeguard and promote accountability of gifts entrusted to its care; and engage donors to support the spiritual, educational and social needs of the faith community.

As the new president, Blanchette and the staff within the Catholic Foundation will continue to execute “Our Catholic Appeal,” a 32-year fundraising tradition in the diocese that raises more than $12 million annually to support diocesan ministries, such as social outreach, faith formation, sacramental preparation, leadership development, Catholic media and more.

Blanchette has served as director of the Diocese of Orlando’s Office of Stewardship and Development for the past 10 years. Before joining the diocesan staff, Blanchette served as director of development for Junior Achievement of Central Florida and director of major gifts for the Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. She is a native of Providence, R.I., and a graduate of Providence College. Blanchette lives in Oviedo with her husband, Gary, and they have two children.

Peterson is communications manager for the Diocese of Orlando.

Return to Diocese of Orlando Front Page

Catholic Foundation names first president

Other Stories