Fidelity Bank and Trust gives 100-thousand to Beckman Catholic and Xavier Elementary Capital Campaign

Representatives of Fidelity Bank & Trust, Beckman Catholic High School and St. Francis Xavier Elementary gathered at the bank’s branch office in Dyersville, Iowa, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, to recognize Fidelity’s $100,000 gift to the schools’ joint capital campaign. The One Faith. One Family. One Future. capital campaign, launched earlier this year, aims to fund capital improvements across both school campuses and grow their respective endowments.

“Fidelity Bank & Trust is dedicated to the communities in which we serve and a proud supporter of Beckman Catholic High School and St. Francis Xavier Elementary. Investing in education is one of the many ways we commit to our mission of ‘making hometown lives better,’” said Jim Kennedy, Jr., Fidelity Bank & Trust chairman of the board and Beckman Catholic alumnus. Kennedy was joined by colleagues and fellow Beckman alumni Alan Besler (central region president) and Todd Steffen (market president). Also present were 11 other alumni of Beckman Catholic, Xavier Elementary and other area Catholic elementary schools (La Salle and the now-closed St. Paul and Hennessy) who also are employed at Fidelity Bank & Trust. Marcel Kielkucki, Beckman Catholic principal, and Peter Smith, Xavier Elementary principal, accepted the gift on behalf of the schools.

“Throughout this campaign we have been humbled by the generosity of so many in our community, including Fidelity Bank & Trust,” said Kielkucki. “We are grateful for this significant contribution to our efforts and for the continued support they have provided our schools for so many years.”

This fundraising effort comes at a historic moment for both schools as they ready to join as one school system in 2026. To date, the campaign has received over $7.2 million in gifts and pledges.

“Fidelity Bank & Trust’s support is a perfect example of how small communities and schools can collaborate to build a stronger future. With Fidelity as a partner in our mission, we are preparing our young people with the education and values they will need as the future leaders of our community,” said Smith.

Beckman Catholic High School and St. Francis Xavier Elementary cultivate the full potential of each individual through the pursuit of academic, spiritual, and personal excellence. In union with their families, the Church, and the greater community, they strive to lead and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ in this world and to live as saints for eternity. Together, they employ over 100 faculty and staff and have offered nearly 170 years of Catholic education to children of Dyersville and surrounding areas.

Alumni employed by Fidelity Bank & Trust

In Photo, from left:

Karen Bries '81, Jill Cahill '06, Brenda Bildstein '85, Deb Engler '93, Jeremy Olberding '96, Larry Wilson, Connor Rahe '21, Marcel Kielkucki, Scott Olberding '18, Peter Smith, Alan Besler '98, Todd Steffen '89, Jim Kennedy, Jr. '93, Leah Krogman '09, Joan Brunsman '02, Matt Goerdt '93, Charley Wulfekuhle '23 Jim Kennedy, Jr. is also an alumnus of Xavier Elementary.

Not pictured in photo:

Jan Schwers '90, Carolyn Turnis '84, Derek Olberding '06, Sharlene Kline '82, Abby Palmer '17