A group of mothers at St. Cecilia Cathedral School in Omaha is raising $350,000 to renovate the school's gym, which has gone without air conditioning for 75 years. The project includes new windows, brickwork, and asbestos abatement before a rooftop AC unit can be installed — and for those leading the effort, it means much more than keeping the building cool.
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Co-chairs Sammie Rodriguez and Erin Peters have been organizing the campaign since September 2024.
Peters, who also coaches volleyball at the school, said the lack of climate control has had a direct impact on students and athletes.
"We're seeing a lot more days of greater than 100 degrees, and I actually also coach volleyball, so we start volleyball programs in August, which is the hottest summer month. My first practice, we actually had to take a lot more breaks," Peters said.
The project is also a family affair for Peters. Her father and brother own a structural engineering firm and are contributing their services to the effort.
"My dad and brother actually have a structural engineering firm based in Glenwood, Iowa, licensed to practice in Nebraska, who are contributing to this effort, and then we have great partners in Omaha that are helping with the mechanical engineering and then also the purchase of the equipment and the installation of it," Peters said.
Teresa Lehn, Director of Development at Saint Cecilia Parish and a former student who now watches her own children perform in the same gym, said the heat has become increasingly difficult to manage.
"We are waving our pamphlets and trying to cool each other off and having little fans. It has definitely gotten warmer," Lehn said.
Jessie Stoffel, Principal of Saint Cecilia Cathedral School, said the vision for the renovated space extends well beyond the school day.
"It would be nice to have it be a more communal space where we could also use that to build some revenue on our side of things to benefit the school and parish. Being able to have other organizations utilize the space would be a huge benefit and a great community builder too," Stoffel said.
For Rodriguez, the drive behind the project is deeply personal. After losing her husband this month, the St. Cecilia community rallied around her family — reinforcing why she has poured herself into this effort.
"The magical thing about Saint Cecilia is when somebody is in need or anything like that, Saint Cecilia has shown me this year alone the most — that they band together and they will lift each other up," Rodriguez said.
"There's not enough that I can do for the community to ever repay what the community has done for me and my family," Rodriguez said.
A Comedy and Cuisine fundraising event is scheduled for April 18, with all proceeds going to support the school and fund the gym renovation project. More information is available at the campaign's "Be Cool Give Now" initiative.
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