Cardinal Gibbons High School announced a $250,000 gift to the Our Faith, Our Family, Our Future Capital Campaign from Gunther Motor Company during a recognition ceremony at the school’s Homecoming football game on Friday, Oct. 25. 

During the halftime ceremony, representatives from the Gunther family were brought onto the Dr. Bud Tight Field and were presented with a commemorative plaque as a thank you from the Cardinal Gibbons community for the family’s immense generosity and outstanding leadership. The Gunther’s donation will help fund the construction of the Phil Smith Family Building, the top priority of the Our Faith, Our Family, Our Future Capital Campaign.

In further recognition of the donation and the Gunther family’s longstanding support of Cardinal Gibbons, a chief-themed mural, designed by renowned marine-life artist and Cardinal Gibbons alumnus Dennis Friel ‘92, was installed on the south side of the baseball dugout in the family’s honor. The mural, which was unveiled during the announcement of the donation, is dedicated to the following members of the Gunther family: Jay Gunther ‘74; Casey Gunther ‘75; Josh Gunther ‘96; Taylor Gunther Healey ‘01; PJ Healey ‘01; Joe Gunther ‘02; James Gunther ‘12.

Gunther Motor Company and the Gunther family have had a strong philanthropic presence in the South Florida community since opening their doors in 1969 and have supported local organizations including, Holy Cross Hospital, the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, among others. Taylor Gunther Healey, director of philanthropy at Gunther Motor Company, described the importance of community involvement for both her family and the company. “Our family has been a part of the community for over 50 years and giving back is at the heart of what we do,” said Gunther Healey.

Though the Gunther’s have been longtime supporters of Cardinal Gibbons’ athletic programs, Gunther Healey expressed that supporting academics and empowering students at Cardinal Gibbons has become a priority for Gunther Motor Company. “There is a great need for a facility like the Phil Smith Family Building at Cardinal Gibbons; times are changing and education is becoming far more advanced,” she said. “I am confident that the impact the Phil Smith Building will have on Cardinal Gibbons students will be tremendous and will only further set apart Cardinal Gibbons graduates.”

The 20,000-square-foot Phil Smith Family Building will be located on the south side of the Cardinal Gibbons gymnasium and will feature an engineering room, choral room and secondary practice space, band studio, digital music lab, a Genius Room and television editing and production studios, as well as collaborative STEAM classrooms and labs.

If you would like to contribute to the Our Faith, Our Family, Our Future Capital Campaign, you can make your gift here.