FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why does St. Joe’s have a picnic?

The St. Joe’s Picnic was started in 1850 by a group of Ursuline nuns to raise funds to care for the orphaned children living at St. Joe’s. The Picnic has continued for 173 years and remains as the largest annual fundraiser providing much needed support to cover the day-to-day operating expenses of the Home.

Many people do not realize that children still live at St. Joe’s. However, the days of the traditional orphanage are gone. The children who now reside at St. Joe’s were removed from abandoned, abusive, neglectful, violent, and broken homes. They are wards of the state who are placed at St. Joe’s for therapeutic treatment to help them move beyond their traumatic experiences and grow into successful young adulthood.

As expected, funding is provided from the state to assist with the cost of caring for these children, but this covers less than 77% of the actual expenses. This leaves a significant amount that must be raised by other means. The picnic is the major source of these additional funds and EVERY DOLLAR RAISED HELPS THE KIDS.

Can I take a tour of the landmark building?

At this time our landmark building is under construction as a part of our Building Forever Families Campaign. While there are still restrictions due to COVID-19 protocols, we plan to commence partial tours soon. Full tours of the landmark building will resume upon completion of construction, expected to be November 2022.

How can I purchase raffle tickets this year?

There are three ways you can purchase raffle tickets this year:

• Online (link coming soon)
• During Picnic on August 12th and 13th
• At various pop-up locations around town

Will there be a Chicken Dinner this year?

The Chicken Dinner will return in 2023 better than ever. This year, please enjoy a meal or snack from one of our many food vendors participating in Picnic 2022!

I bought a raffle ticket online. How will I know if I won?

Winners for all raffles will be drawn at midnight in the bingo tent on St. Joe’s front lawn. It is NOT necessary to be present to win. Winners will be notified by phone and/or email on Monday, August 15th.

How do I claim my prize?

If you are the winner of a raffle or one of the other prizes during Picnic, you will be contacted on the Monday following Picnic. You can also contact the Picnic Coordinator, Pam Stone, via email at pams@sjkids.org or by phone at (502) 893-0241 ext. 262 with any questions or to make arrangements to pick up your prize. To protect our staff and the children in our onsite programs, no walk-ins are permitted, so you must schedule a time to meet with our Picnic Coordinator at a designated location on the St. Joe’s campus.

COVID Safety

We take the health and safety of you, our children and our employees seriously. 

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public space where people are gathered, even at an event that is fully outdoors. All guests who enter our event must behave responsibly to prevent the spread of COVID.

We are closely monitoring government policy changes, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, government mandates, and public health announcements and any guidance provided will be strictly followed. Guidance can evolve quickly, so please  for the latest updates before you head to St. Joe’s on Friday August 12^th or Saturday August 13th.

Keep your distance. Be courteous to other guests and make sure to give them space — on your way in, in the food line, on the lawn, wherever. We will continue to evaluate the layout prior to each evening to ensure the opportunity for attendees to social distance.

How are you feeling? If you’re not feeling well, please STAY HOME. We cannot emphasize this enough. Help keep each other healthy.

Vaccination. You’re social distancing, washing your hands, and wearing your mask. Vaccinations are one more critical step in providing protection against the COVID-19 virus and getting back to the people and activities we love. While vaccinations are not currently mandated by state guidelines to attend outdoor events, we strongly encourage those attendees who are eligible to be vaccinated.

If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines or need resources to find a vaccination location near you, please check out www.vaccinefinder.org.

Have more questions? Please email info@sjkids.org or call (502)-893-0241 for further information.