Director of development
appointed in Regina
By Frank Flegel
REGINA — Christina
Attard became the Regina archdiocesan Director of Development Jan. 16, filling
a position that had been empty for over a year.
Attard is from Ontario and
came west when her husband accepted a tenure track position at the
University of Regina in the Political Science Department. She has a
degree in medieval studies, but got interested in fundraising and
development programming through an internship at St. Michael’s
College, University of Toronto.
“By the time I graduated,
I had completed a four-year internship in fundraising and decided
to pursue a career along those lines rather than go to graduate school.”
That led to positions at St.
Michael’s, then about five years at
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont. before moving to Regina. Archdiocesan
financial officer Barry Wood said he came across one of Attard’s
marketing brochures and contacted her. Attard said she went through the
interview process and was happy to be hired.
“We’re very grateful to be in Saskatchewan. We’ve
had a very warm welcome from the people here.”
She, her husband and two-year-old daughter arrived in August and since then she has become active in the local community.
“I’ve
become involved in the Canadian Association of Gift Planning and the
Association of Fund Raising professionals and getting to know members
of the community, meeting people in the non-profits and doing volunteer
work.”
Fundraising is usually seen
as a secular idea but she sees a spiritual foundation to it.
“I see my role as facilitating
Christian stewardship, especially facilitating people to share their
time, talent and treasure with others and doing that through what I
would call faith formation through the ministries like youth and vocations
but also some social service things where the archdiocese helps those
who might need some sort of support through the different agencies
that they support.”
She intends to travel the
archdiocese, meet with as many clergy as she can as well as the people
who are already involved in the archbishop’s
Commitment to the Future Annual Appeal, all with the goal of asking how
to do a better job of meeting their needs.
“I and my family are
very much looking forward to becoming part of the Catholic community
here and finding a vocation in which I can serve my fellow Catholics
in Southern Saskatchewan.
Denise Walsh remains as assistant co-ordinator of the appeal.
The 2011 appeal has raised $1,182,000 as of the middle of January 2012.
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