For the love of St. Michael’s, teens raise $167K

By Macie Capote
Clarion Herald

In their quest to positively impact the New Orleans community, recent Jesuit graduate Degan Dansereau Jr. and his lifelong family friend Carson Browne decided to tackle a significant challenge: raising funds to provide St. Michael Special School with a much-needed bus.

During their time volunteering at St. Michael’s in the summer of 2022, the teens asked Dr. Elizabeth “Cissy” LaForge, St. Michael’s head of school, if there was anything else they could do to help the school. That was when LaForge mentioned the absence of a school bus, and how difficult it was for the students to be able to engage with their community.

“We thought, ‘Well, that’s kind of an essential part and something a school should definitely have,’” Dansereau said. “And as we started brainstorming on what we could do, it just snowballed from there.”

Long-standing history

Browne and Dansereau have dedicated numerous years to their involvement with St. Michael’s. Browne’s family has been involved with the school for many years, while Dansereau’s relationship with LaForge, dates back to his kindergarten years.

“My affiliation with St. Michael’s goes back pretty far,” he said. “I remember being at Stuart Hall collecting beads for St. Michael’s.”

Browne, a New Orleans native who currently lives just 15 minutes outside of Washington, D.C., said she had always been trying to come up with ways to serve St. Michael’s more deeply. 

“The second I walked into St. Michael’s, I knew it was a place that I would keep going back to,” she said. “I love volunteering there, but I feel like there’s always more you can do.”

Fueled by their deep connection to the school that has dedicated its mission to serving and educating children and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Browne’s and Dansereau’s “Love of St. Michael Campaign” was born.

Overcoming trials

The pair worked tirelessly over this past year to raise enough funds to be able to purchase the 14-person, airport shuttle-style bus. Despite initially aiming to raise $70,000, their efforts were tested when they discovered the actual cost was nearly double, at $130,000. Still determined, they ramped up their fundraising initiatives through social media campaigns, email outreach and personal appeals.

Their persistence paid off as contributions came in from all directions, exceeding their original goal and raising a total of $167,264 by the end of November 2023.

“We were super happy to see how generous people were,” Dansereau said. “Everyone came together to support this great cause.”

In a post-COVID time when it was extremely difficult to purchase any type of vehicle, LaForge said that there were so many obstacles in the way of getting the bus, and renting a bus was not an option for St. Michael’s.

“We could not get out; a school bus costs over $400 a trip,” she said. “We would have never been able to do something like this.”

God on our side

LaForge added that despite the tribulations they went through, she said she found so many “Holy Spirit moments” amid them. 

“There would be a lull and I would think, ‘We might not be able to pull this off,’” she said. “But then, out of nowhere, there would be something or someone that would push us closer to our goal.”

From the Leg Quarter Cook-Off raising over $20,000, to a generous donation from the Dales family in memory of their baby, Sadie Dales, the pair began gaining traction and attention from all over.

“They pulled it off every single time,” LaForge said. “They were persistent and never gave up.”

Dansereau said he was confident in their ability to see the campaign through, and he was assured that God would help them along the way. 

“Getting almost to the goal was not going to be good enough,” he said. “We were really determined, and we knew we were doing a good thing, and that God had our back in this.”

A new chapter

The day the bus arrived marked a surreal moment for all parties involved. Browne and Dansereau agreed that the biggest reward of all was seeing how excited the students were to have their new bus.

“It almost didn’t feel real,” Browne said. “It feels so good to do something that’s made such an incredible change for such a big community.”

LaForge said St. Michael’s will never be able to thank the teens enough for their persistence in ensuring this vision would come to fruition.

With the school’s new bus, LaForge said the students have been able to go to everyday places that are vital to their education and will prepare them for the real world. So far, students have taken trips to the library, police station and airport, and have learned skills like how to order lunch, mail a letter, make change at a bank and buy gifts during Christmas time.

“They gave the kids the opportunity to be a part of the community they need to be in,” she said. “Now, we are able to get into the community more than we ever could before. It’s liberating.”

The remainder of the donations raised for the Love of St. Michael Campaign will go toward insurance and repairs as St. Michael prepares for the new cost, LaForge said.

Invaluable lessons

Through their efforts, Browne and Dansereau said they honed invaluable people skills such as communication and community engagement, and that it taught them how to be proactive instead of sitting and waiting for something to happen.

As they embark on their college careers, with Browne attending Tulane University and Dansereau the University of Alabama, the two said they would carry with them the lessons learned and the memories created in this huge moment during their time in high school.

“It’s given me a lot of confidence in my ability to impact and change the community,” Dansereau said. “I’ll be looking for opportunities in Tuscaloosa to give back to my community.”

[email protected]