Behind the Bob Burns Dakota Bowl, there’s a community for life

This paid piece is sponsored by Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

A school community is more than just a group of students and teachers.

At Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools, it’s also the parents, grandparents, alumni, pastors, administrators and even the volunteers. Being part of a community means being part of something bigger than oneself. 

Lucas Fiegen, O’G class of 2006, is a great example of exactly that. Not only is he an alumnus of O’Gorman, he’s also a parent, volunteer and donor who shares his time and talents with the O’G community in more ways than one. 

“After graduating from college, I moved back home to Sioux Falls and wanted to make an impact in the community that shaped me. My first thought was O’Gorman, having such close connections with teachers, coaches and administrators,” he said.

Volunteering at the Bob Burns Dakota Bowl was an obvious choice for Fiegen based on the many other volunteers he already knew.  

“There is such a rich history in volunteer longevity,” he said. “Some of the faces I recognized in high school supporting an event that I played in were still helping in 2012. It was amazing to see their support all these years, and I wanted to do the same for future generations of O’Gorman students.” 

The Bob Burns Dakota Bowl supports all eight Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools through tuition assistance, and teacher and staff salaries. At first, Fiegen was just assisting family and friends in raising funds for the event. It quickly became more than that to him. 

“It became a meaningful way to give back and support a community of people that had given me the same opportunity of success when I was in high school,” he said. “The event itself was of great significance in my life, but to see the greater impact that the Dakota Bowl has on O’Gorman athletics as a whole is why I continued to get more and more involved.”

As a business owner himself, “like-minded business owners from the O’Gorman community share similar faith practices and business ethics throughout their respective places of work,” he added. “Having worked with so many graduates of O’Gorman in today’s work environment, it’s amazing to see the Catholic schooling that shows up in their day-to-day interactions.”

As a parent, Fiegen explained that he wants to see the same opportunities — or more — for his children that were available when he attended O’Gorman. He recognizes that many of those opportunities he had were because of past graduates giving back in a variety of ways. 

“Whether it be for specific fundraising events or future planning for the system, I want to help make O’Gorman the best it can be. It’s also a chance for my children to see me being a steward of my time and talents in hopes that they aspire to do the same.” 

We asked Fiegen if he could describe the O’Gorman community in his own words:

“The O’Gorman community is a tight-knit, small — yet large — group that shares similar values and faith principles. They are a stewardship-focused community willing to go above and beyond what is required for one another and others. I’ve always had admiration and respect for those I’ve had interactions with either as a student of O’Gorman or now an alumni. I’m blessed to be a part of such a great community of people.”

Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools is proud to have such dedicated and respectable alumni in our community that recognize the importance of giving back whether it’s with their time, talents or treasure. The Bob Burns Dakota Bowl will be Saturday, Aug. 26. Find out more about the event by visiting here.