February 26, 2010
Catholic Education Foundation campaign underway
Beth Clark, CEF campaign co-chair, speaks with a board member after the annual campaign kickoff Feb. 18. (Message photo by Paul R. Leingang) Click for a larger version.
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
“CEF helped me and my four children after my husband passed away,” said Betty Jo Hallinan of Evansville, quoted in an appeal letter. “I will donate to CEF as long as I can, because it’s an opportunity to pay back an act of kindness.”
Hallinan’s comments, along with others from Memorial Math teacher Randy Hupfer and long–time CEF board member Cathy Drake, are in the 2010 letter used for the annual CEF campaign.
Hupfer said, in part, “Some of my students have shared that they received CEF grants and I have seen how much they contribute to Memorial High School.”
Drake said she and her husband Dale “have always contributed to CEF because our three children attended Mater Dei and received a wonderful education.”
Directors, advisors and volunteers from the Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana, Inc., have a goal of $167,000 for the campaign now underway, which will go toward a total proposed budget of $457,000 for tuition assistance at Mater Dei and Memorial high schools in Evansville in the next academic year.
The budget also calls for an award of $11,200 to Marian Educational Outreach.
The campaign goal was announced at the CEF annual kickoff meeting, Feb. 16. Campaign co-chairs are Beth Clark and Dan Niemeier.
The grant total has continued to rise in recent years, from $212,600 in 2007-2008, to $295,000 in 2008-2009, to the current total of $420,500.
Grants in the current year were awarded to 169 students. Of that total, 97 are at Memorial, 72 at Mater Dei. About 75 percent of the families who applied for grants received them. Awards ranged from $600 to $4,100.
The proposed budget for the 2010-2011 school year calls for grants totalling $415,000. In addition to the campaign funds, the budget is based on investment endowment income and alumni association gifts.
Since 1971, CEF has provided over $4 million in grants to 4,514 students. All tuition grants are confidential.