Car Raffle Raises $55,000 for Sanctuary Beautification – Made Possible by FGR Alumnus Tom Butman ’05
As we continue to fundraise for our Chapel Renovation project, we are excited to announce that this year’s Car Raffle raised $55,000! Coupled with last year’s Car Raffle earnings of $60,000, this makes great strides toward our $350,000 goal.
Congratulations to the Zawistowski family for winning the grand prize! Alicia Zawistowski ’27 sold the winning ticket. Second and third prize winners were notified on May 2nd.
Congratulations also to our top five sellers:
Ryan Schwartz ’27
Joseph Sauter ’26
Violet Culp ’26
Antonio Pedinelli ’25
Lauren Griffin ’26
Car Raffle participation allows students to earn Households points for each ticket sold. The top-selling Houses were:
Champion House $15,380
Guadalupe House $13,180
Kibeho House $12,630
The participation of so many alumni, parents, students, and friends of the school is enabling us to beautify our sanctuary and make our chapel a space which inspires the awe and reverence due to Our Lord. We are grateful to each and every one of you who purchased a raffle ticket.
FGR is especially grateful to Tom Butman ’05 and Gene Butman Ford for donating the grand prizes for each of the past two years! None of this would be possible without their generous support.
In a recent interview, Tom Butman explained what motivates him to give. “Our family has been passionate about giving back to non-profit, Christian-led and Catholic education organizations way before me,” Butman says. “My father started donating raffle vehicles to the United Way of Southeast Michigan in the early 1990’s. Gene Butman Ford donations equated to almost $1.8 Million dollars in donations through the car raffle at St. Francis, which lasted from 1998-2019. Some years the kids were able to raise over $100,000!”
For the past two years, we have been blessed by the Butman family’s decision to bring their generosity to FGR, “In 2022 I approached Joe Jordano at the annual Wine Auction and suggested we start donating to FGR,” Butman says. “At that time my daughter was attending the school and I felt that God was calling us to increase our support of the school. It has been great to watch the school rally around the raffle. I appreciate the competitive spirit the young people and their households exude during the event. Our goal is still $100,000 and I believe next year we will get there.”
After graduating from FGR in 2005, Butman went on to Northwood University where he studied Automotive Marketing and Management. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in 2009. He now serves as the General Manager of Butman Ford – a dealership that has been in business in Southeast Michigan for 66 years.
Through his generous support of the FGR Car Raffle, Butman is giving back to the school that helped to shape the man he is today, “FGR helped shape my faith,” Butman says. “Kairos helped me to connect with my fellow classmates in a way I would have never expected. It helped solidify my faith. Choir helps strengthen my faith through music and artistic expression. Football helped secure me in my faith when we prayed before and after every game (and even during practice). FGR is a unique school where people can express their faith openly.”
You’ll be able to read a full interview with Tom Butman (as well as profiles on a number of other FGR alumni who are accomplishing incredible things) in the 2024 print edition of Legacies Magazine. Legacies is the magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of Fr. Gabriel Richard / St. Thomas High School. To receive Legacies please be sure we have your information by filling out the form on this page.