JACKSON HEIGHTS — On May 22, students at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School poured out of the building and into the streets for their annual Walk for Education.
The cheer and the sneakers were familiar. The dollar figure was not.
This year, the event raised more than $35,000, a record high and over seven times last year’s total, according to Father Christopher Heanue, pastor of St. Joan of Arc.
“We’re spending a lot of effort and attention on the school,” Father Heanue said. “We value Catholic education here at St. Joan of Arc, and our parishioners do too.”
This year, the walk-a-thon included more than just the walk.
They set grade, class, and individual-level fundraising goals and enabled people to pledge donations online.
“The excitement was palpable,” Father Heanue said. “And look at it — it returned.”
Before the walk began, the school community honored Father Heanue, who arrived in 2025. Students circled around him as a teacher read an Irish blessing. They sang “You Are My Sunshine.”
Then, while on stage, a row of children held signs spelling out F-A-T-H-E-R H-E-A-N-U-E, each child reading aloud what their letter stood for — and what makes their pastor special to them.
“It’s an honor to be honored,” Father Heanue said. “I’m so happy to be in a parish — a dynamic parish — with a great school.”
Father Heanue has prioritized education since his installation on Sept. 28.
The “Installation Challenge” he created when he first arrived — a five-year giving commitment from vendors, donors, and family friends — has pulled in more than $160,000 for school scholarships, well past the $100,000 goal.
Principal Agnes Mosejczuk said Father Heanue had barely “unpacked his suitcase” in June before he was unloading ideas for the school.
“We work hard to improve our school each and every day, with a lot of energy and dreams, and now Father Heanue has come in and shared his support and his vision,” Mosejczuk said. “He encourages us to dream even bigger.
“Having his support allows us to reach high, and that is what we are doing.”
Father Heanue framed the fundraising surge as the fruit of a deliberate shift.
“We want to change culture at St. Joan of Arc,” he said. “We want everyone to be actively engaged and involved for the benefit of their parish, of their school.”
He included himself in the goal-setting. His personal target for the walk-a-thon was $1,000. He raised more than $2,000.
Mosejczuk, however, raised even more than her pastor — a detail Father Heanue volunteered with a grin.
Students also had a stake in the walka-thon. Whichever grade raised the most money would lead the procession through the streets. That honor went to the fourth grade, which raised about $3,500.
Elizabeth Rubio, a fourth grader, said the school coached each child on how to make donation requests — and she put the lesson to work by canvassing neighborhood businesses with her classmates.
“We made a lot of money. So that was really awesome because we all did the hard work,” Elizabeth said, adding that the school’s advice was helpful. “I entered the store, and I had my piece of paper so I would know what to say.”
The Walk for Education was also held in honor of the late Antoinette Balzano, a longtime school secretary, who organized the event for years.
“We miss her every single day,” Mosejczuk said. “This walk-a-thon was her baby. Every year, she put a lot of her energy into the fundraiser, so we continue her legacy.”
Father Heanue, like Balzano and Mosejczuk, sees the value of the fundraiser in investing in the school’s students.
“When you look at the excitement on these children’s faces, you see the future of our society, of our diocese, of our nation,” he said. “You see them with such potential — and the potential is discovered here. We treat our students with great love, great care, and affection. You can see that lived out here.”