2nd Annual ParishSOFT Users' Conference
Keynote Presentation
Calling People to Greatness
Marilyn Blanchette, CFRE
President, The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida
Recognizing that people are the greatest asset and most treasured resource and that everyone is called to serve; The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, a newly formed organization within the Diocese of Orlando, embarked on a journey to fulfill its enormous potential for mission and ministry to hundreds of thousands of people.
Marilyn will share her experiences that have involved over one thousand clergy and lay leaders who entered into a shared vision to guide their community of faith to greater engagement, enthusiasm and generosity for years to come. She will share her lessons learned as the organization developed their goals, created leadership teams and began to answer questions like - How do we proclaim the gospel more compellingly? How do we foster the growth in holiness of our people more coherently? How do we transmit the treasure of our faith to the younger generation more effectively?
Prepare to be inspired to grow, lead and share in everything you do in service to Him.
About our Speaker:
Marilyn Blanchette joined the Diocese of Orlando in 1998 and became the Director of Stewardship and Development in June, 2000. In addition to overseeing Our Catholic Appeal, a 32 year tradition that raises over $12 million annually, Marilyn and the professional team within the Foundation assist parishes and schools in the areas of stewardship education, capital campaigns and Planned Giving.
Currently, Marilyn is leading the planning and execution of the first ever Alive In Christ capital campaign for the Diocese of Orlando, following a two year synod planning process that Bishop Thomas G. Wenski convoked on March 23, 2005.
Prior to joining the Diocese of Orlando, Marilyn 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, Rhode Island and a graduate of Providence College. Marilyn lives in Oviedo Florida with her husband Gary and their two children, Katie and Tyler, and is an active member of Most Precious Blood parish.
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