For more than 100 years, the former St. Ann’s School has been an important part of Erie’s east side. Built in 1925, the historic building has educated generations of children. After a devastating fire in 1945, Msgr. Lawrence A. McBride led the restoration of the school, welcoming students back when it reopened in 1946. His determination ensured that this treasured community landmark would continue to serve future generations. In 1986, Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center purchased the property and continued its legacy of serving children and families in our community. Today, the St. Ann’s Campus is home to Sarah Reed’s Sanctuary Education for Learning Fundamentals (SELF) program and Sanctuary Based Learning Program (SBLP). In partnership with Erie’s Public Schools, these therapeutic educational programs serve more than 120 students ages 8–18 each year and their families. Students are referred to SELF and SBLP when significant behavioral challenges make a therapeutic environment necessary to help them develop the skills they need to learn, regulate emotions and behaviors, and ultimately return safely to their home schools.
Since launching our St. Ann’s Campus Enhancement project in 2022, over 303 St. Ann’s supporters have helped us make $1.3 million in necessary improvements to this historic building and the programs it supports daily! We’re also proud to share that since the project began, we have served more than 400 children and approximately 1,000 families at our St. Ann’s Campus. During the 2026-2027 academic year, we plan to serve an additional 120 students and approximately 325 families at our 8th Annual Sarah's Great Giveaway next spring.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and community partners, we have completed significant improvements throughout the campus. Some of these improvements include:
A new HVAC system
- Major IT infrastructure upgrades
- A significantly expanded St. Ann’s library
- New furniture and technology for our classrooms
- Exterior cleaning and restoration of the building’s historic exterior masonry
- New roof over the school and gym
- A major window replacement project
- Renovations to interior hallways and stairwells
- New flooring throughout the first and second floors and stairwells
- Restoration and refinishing of 6 historic classroom doors
- Installation of 23 additional new interior & classroom doors
- A newly resurfaced parking lot
- New wood fencing around the campus
These improvements have helped us create a safer, more welcoming and more functional environment for the children, families and staff who rely on the St. Ann’s Campus every day. In honor of the incredible improvements and restoration we’ve accomplished since 2022, we’ve named The St. Ann’s Heritage Hallway on the first floor to celebrate the vision, generosity and stewardship of all who have helped preserve St. Ann’s School.
There Is Still Work to Do
We are very proud of how far the St. Ann’s Campus has come since 2022! We realize that preserving a 100-year-old building is an ongoing effort, and future improvements will continue to focus on maintaining the building’s historic character while ensuring that the campus remains a safe, functional and welcoming environment for the children and families we serve. Every improvement to the St. Ann’s Campus represents more than a repaired wall, a restored door or a newly paved parking lot. It is an investment in the children who walk through these doors every day and in the future of the programs and services provided here. A century of history surrounds them, but it is the pride of today’s students that brings St. Ann’s back to life. They are not simply learning in this historic school—they are becoming part of its next chapter.
You can help preserve the future of our St. Ann’s Campus. Whether you’d like to make an outright gift today or leave a legacy through a planned gift, your generosity can provide lasting support for the children and families who will walk through the doors of St. Ann’s for generations to come.
To learn more about the project, discuss opportunities to support the St. Ann’s Campus, explore planned giving options, or arrange a tour, please contact:
Gary L. Bukowski, MA, CFRE
Associate Vice President of Development
Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center
(814) 835-7602
GBukowski@SarahReed.org
Thank you for helping us preserve the legacy of Sarah Reed’s St. Ann’s Campus and invest in the future of the children and families we serve!
Check Out Vol. 2 of our St. Ann's Campus Enhancement Update!
We’re excited to share the continuing progress of our St. Ann’s Campus Enhancement Project—and it’s all thanks to our generous supporters! Since the project began in Summer 2022, we’ve invested $1.3 million in necessary improvements to our historic St. Ann’s Campus, which serves 120+ children and 350+ families annually. Our latest newsletter highlights some of the project’s key accomplishments, along with a look at the history and ongoing preservation of this special campus on Erie’s east side, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025.
St. Ann's Campus Enhancement Project Update—Vol. 2
Want to learn more?
Gary Bukowski, MA, CFRE, associate vice president of development at Sarah Reed, sat down with the team at Community Access Media to discuss our Phase 1 and Phase 2 initiatives, along with the significant impact Sarah A. Reed Children's Center continues to make on the Erie community more than 153 years after it was founded.
Click here for a PDF showing our full listing of Phase 1 accomplishments and photos (June 2024)
Click here for a PDF of our St. Ann's Campus Enhancement Update Vol. 1 (August 2025)
Want to make an impact today?
You can make an online gift using the Donate button below and select "St. Ann's Campus Centennial: Preserving the Legacy" from the drop-down menu on our online donation page. Prefer to write a check, make a gift through your IRA or have another way of making an impact? Please reach out to Gary Bukowski in our Development Office, and he'll be happy to assist you. Thank you!
Join our Preserving the Legacy initiative!
You can make an online gift to the St. Ann's Campus Centennial: Preserving the Legacy by clicking the link below. Thank you!
Donate
Help us preserve the legacy of St. Ann's through a planned gift!
Visit our Planned Giving website to learn about all the ways you can incorporate Sarah A. Reed Children's Center into your estate plans and make a lasting impact on the children and families we serve. Don't have a will yet? Check out our free and secure Legacy Planner to help get you started.
