How to Support Catholic School Volunteers Our Greatest Resource Volunteer, as described by Webster, is “one who enters into any service of their own free will.” The service of countless human being over the history of C.P.E.S would fill books with many pages of names and many names that would be repeated over and over again. It is these names that have truly brought success to this Catholic school system. A Catholic school, as well as a parish support system, does in actuality have a limited supply of financial resources. To have a Catholic school rely only on financial resources to complete a task or job would in no way give it success. A Catholic school’s greatest resource is its people. Those parents, grandparents, family members, and community people it can call upon time and time again to serve are C.P.E.S. heroes.  C.P.E.S has a strong historical tradition of people giving of their time. Back in early 1969, much of the history tells of people who met through many long meetings. They were the first set of volunteers who began the C.P.E.S. school board and moving committees. The committees that worked to get the school in operation for the fall of 1969 gave many hours of service. All these years later the story of volunteerism is still true to form. Committees continue to meet to solve new problems and put in many long hours. The people resources of the system continue to remain strong. The services these people provide are involved in many facets of the school operation. Some volunteers are dealing directly with students, while others are dealing with policy, and still others keep the financial resources strong.  The School Advisory Committee (School Board) provides the vision and direction for the operations of the school. It has faced some serious decisions in its many years, but has done so with grace and a faith filled sprit that has proven that decisions were always made in the best interest of the C.P.E.S. system. In addition to the parish pastors and the Administrator, the board has members from each parish. They meet throughout the school year.  There are also a large number of volunteers who deal directly with the students. Each day in the school there is a volunteer doing services of some type. Those who tutor, prepare materials for teachers, work in the library, serve on the playground, prepare treats for special days, or serve hot lunch are invaluable. The list is long, but it makes so much possible. One organization that deals directly with the students is the Home and School Organization. They provide many wonderful activities and opportunities for the students. The purpose of this group is to bring the home and school together to create positive relationships in working together.  The service of all these volunteers could never be calculated into a dollar value. All of these gifts of service from so many wonderful people over the years have been the backbone to C.P.E.S.’s success. We would like to take the time to thank all of our volunteers. You are a great group of people!