For Immediate Release: April 28, 2025
Contact: Gabby Barton, Raffle Coordinator
651-765-4149, gbarton@catholicunited.org
HAM LAKE, Minn., – A wave of excitement and joy swept through The Way of the Shepherd Catholic Montessori School on April 23 as students, staff and the grand prize winner came together to celebrate their success in the 2025 Catholic United Financial Raffle. With smiles as wide as the giant prize check, the celebration kicked off as multiple prizes were handed out.
The check presentation took place the morning of April 23 at The Church of Saint Paul in Ham Lake, Minn. Grand prize winner Alyssa Niedenfuer of Ramsey, Minn., purchased the winning ticket from her friend’s children, who attend The Way of the Shepherd school. Niedenfuer’s ticket was drawn during the Catholic United Financial Raffle Prize Ceremony on March 27, 2025 at the Catholic United Financial office in St. Paul, Minn.
As the grand prize winner, Niedenfuer had a tough choice between a brand-new 2025 Chevy Trax SUV or $20,000 and she chose the cash. She said she plans to use part of her winnings to help pay for her children’s Catholic school tuition. The Niedenfuer family have five children, three of which are enrolled in Catholic school in Coon Rapids, Minn.
Pictured left to right with the winner: Tim Amireault, Member Advisor; Mike Ahles, Senior Vice President of Distribution; Alyssa Niedenfuer, Grand Prize Winner; and Nate Lamusga, Director of Mission Engagement.
During the event, Catholic United Financial staff also recognized The Way of the Shepherd student Isabelle Stoll, the school’s top ticket seller. Stoll received a $50 LEGO gift card for her incredible effort and a $200 tuition scholarship.
In total, The Way of the Shepherd raised $9,850 from the Catholic United Financial Raffle. The school joined 72 Catholic schools across Minnesota and South Dakota as participants in this year’s Raffle. Together, these schools raised more than $1.3 million, marking the twelfth year in a row that the program has raised a combined total of more than $1 million. Since its inception, the Catholic United Financial Raffle has raised more than $16 million for Catholic education.
Sole sponsor Catholic United Financial covers all tickets, promotional materials, and prizes, so every dollar raised by the Raffle program stays with the schools.
A complete list of prize winners from the raffle can be found at: www.catholicunitedfinancial.org/raffle
About Catholic United Financial
Catholic United Financial is a brand of Trusted Fraternal Life™, member-owned, not-for-profit dedicated to connecting people of faith, protecting their future, and generously impacting parishes, schools, and communities in the Upper Midwest since 1878. Learn about our products that protect and our programs that connect at www.catholicunitedfinancial.org.
About Trusted Fraternal Life
Trusted Fraternal Life’s purpose is to serve communities, provide financial security, and enhance quality of Life. Its vision is to be the innovative leader in fraternal partnerships and consolidation, while growing existing business, and engaging more people to enjoy financially secure, purposeful lives. Created in March 2024 by Catholic Financial Life, Trusted Fraternal Life is committed to building the NextGen fraternal benefit society. The organization maintains an ‘A’ financial strength rating with a stable outlook by the Kroll Bond Rating Agency and has been recognized as a Top Workplace eleven years in a row. The Trusted Fraternal Life family of brands includes Catholic Financial Life, Degree of Honor, Woman’s Life and Catholic United Financial. Visit www.trustedfraternallife.org for more about this purpose.
