What if one generation could help secure Catholic education for the next?
A Catholic school can shape far more than a child’s years in the classroom.
It can be the place where a student learns to see the world through the eyes of faith. Where teachers know a child by name, families become part of a community, and academic growth goes hand in hand with a deeper understanding of Christ and His call to serve others.
For generations of families in the Diocese of Joliet, that kind of education has been a gift they deeply desire for their children. But for many, there has always been one question standing in the way:
Can we afford it?
The Catholic Education Foundation of the Diocese of Joliet exists because we believe the answer to that question should not determine whether a child can receive a Catholic education.
The gift that planted a seed
Our story began with an act of generosity.
In 1991, the Diocese of Joliet received a bequest that would provide seed funding for what would become the Catholic Education Foundation. But behind that gift was an idea even larger than the dollars themselves: Catholic education is not simply the responsibility of parents whose children are enrolled in Catholic schools, but a mission shared by the whole Catholic community.
That conviction created an opportunity: What if Catholics throughout the Diocese could come together to help make a faith-filled education possible for families who otherwise might not be able to afford one? What if one generation could help secure Catholic education for the next?
Support grew around that vision, and in June 1996 the Catholic Education Foundation was incorporated as a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Catholic education throughout the Diocese of Joliet. Financial records date the Foundation's establishment as an Illinois corporation to July 1, 1996.
Bishop Joseph Imesch, who led the Diocese at the time, helped establish the Foundation with a particular concern for the long-term financial support of families whose children attended Catholic schools.
Generosity becomes opportunity
Over the years, that first seed has grown through thousands of acts of generosity.
Some donors have made annual gifts to help a student today. Others have created endowed scholarships designed to continue giving year after year. Families have established funds in honor or memory of people they love. Still others have included Catholic education in their estate plans, turning a lifetime of faith and gratitude into an opportunity for generations they may never meet.
Today, the Catholic Education Foundation manages more than 30 endowed and current-use scholarship funds, each connecting the generosity of a donor with the needs of students and families throughout the Diocese.
One of the Foundation's longest-standing partnerships began soon after its incorporation. The Kazma Family Foundation was established in 1997 and, through its work with the Catholic Education Foundation, has helped make Catholic high school possible for more than 1,000 students in the Diocese of Joliet.
A mission passed from one generation to the next
Nearly three decades after its incorporation, the scale of that shared mission has grown enormously. Tens of thousands of students have benefited from donor generosity since 1996.
But our story is not principally about how far we have come, but rather where we are going together.
Families continue to seek a Catholic education for their children, and affordability remains one of the greatest barriers between those families and our schools. The Foundation's scholarship program serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade who demonstrate financial need, connecting families with resources that can make Catholic school possible.
That means the mission that began with one generous bequest remains every bit as important today.
The form of a gift may change. Annual support can answer the needs of students and schools right now. Endowment gifts can build a lasting source of support that grows over time. Planned giving can make a person's commitment to Catholic education part of a legacy that continues long into the future.
But all of them begin in the same place: with someone who believes Catholic education matters.
Our donors do more than fund scholarships. They help parents exercise a choice they deeply value for their children. They strengthen Catholic school communities. They give teachers the opportunity to form another generation in knowledge and faith. And they help ensure that the doors of our Catholic schools remain open to families from across the Diocese.
That has been the Catholic Education Foundation's story from its beginning:
A gift becomes an opportunity. An opportunity changes a student's life. And one generation's generosity helps pass the gift of Catholic education to the next.
Partner with us and make Catholic school available for more families.
Together, we can build a brighter future for Catholic schools. A faith-filled education for future generations.
