Hope for the Future Catholic School Tuition Assistance Program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2010/hope-for-the-future-catholic-school-tuition-assistance-program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Hope for the Future Catholic School Tuition Assistance Program

Additional Information
Used for	With a $15,000 grant from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, Inc., Hope for the Future will award tuition assistance to 15 deserving children whose families’ seek, but cannot afford the faith-filled and academically rigorous education at one of our 45 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Because the need of these parents is so great and the devotion to their children is so strong, Hope for the Future is emboldened to pursue its mission by seeking support and funding on their behalf. Specifically, all funds raised through Hope for the Future assure that more students who are often second generation Americans from impoverished homes have an opportunity to attend a Catholic school, which is proving to be the hand up these children need to end their cycle of poverty.
Benefits	Funding for Hope for the Future helps indigent students receive a Catholic school education, grounded in faith, rigorous academics, strong values and commitment to community service. Statistics from the National Catholic Educational Association reveal that 99.1 percent of Catholic school students graduate from high school and pursue a college degree on a path to career success and most importantly they are committed to improving their communities through volunteerism, generosity and leadership. The mission of Hope for the Future to help educate strong moral and successful leaders extends beyond our schools, as Catholic school graduates become good citizens of this world who love, God and neighbor and enrich society with the leaven of the Gospel.
Proposal Description	Hope for the Future aims to assist in funding the Catholic education of more than 3,000 school-age children in San Antonio, whose poverty-stricken families are seeking tuition assistance for an opportunity to send their child or children to one of the 45 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. For Hope for the Future to give tuition assistance to all the financially deserving families who apply, we estimate we will need $4.4 million in funding. Hope for the Future is very cognizant of this great need for help in our community, because for two years we have been providing tuition assistance to as many deserving children in San Antonio as our resources will allow. Hope for the Future received tuition assistance requests from 1,170 students in 2009. Because of the generosity of many corporations, foundations and individuals, we were able to make the Catholic school dream a reality for 401 students. Yet, unfortunately, funding levels did not reach the other 769 eligible students. As we meet many of these families and review their applications, we are keenly aware of the great sacrifices our “Hope for the Future” parents make to enroll their students in a Catholic school. Additionally, teachers, administrators and parents share with us that the “Hope for the Future” students are models of gratitude and achievement. Affording these children the opportunity to attain a Catholic school education at one of our schools, is critical to the forward progress of a large section of our community, which ultimately has a ripple effect throughout our city and beyond our borders. Created under the guidance of the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, the Archbishop of San Antonio and community leaders, Hope for the Future is uniquely designed to accomplish the goals of filling Catholic classrooms and maintaining the strong traditions of faith, service and moral and spiritual development that are the hallmarks of a Catholic school education. Their vision is being realized everyday as more and more financially deserving students are proudly attending the Catholic school of their choice in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. To assure continued funding of Hope for the Future, we pursue our goals through several development measures, including solicitation of donations from businesses, alumni, parishes and individuals, as well as grant requests from generous foundations like the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, Inc. Hope for the Future also is under the direction of a vibrant, creative and hard-working board of directors, whose ideas are securing more funding, and providing a greater network, more outreach and lines of volunteers. Through them, we have implemented fundraising opportunities including sponsorships of one or more students, or a school, the annual Khaki & Plaid Party, and a 5K Run, all benefiting Hope for the Future. We support, promote and work hand in hand on partnerships with Catholic universities, foundations, corporations and individuals. We also are an integral part of the think tank that makes up our administrative team of superintendents and principals. The superior quality of our Catholic school education enhances our support in the community and inspires benefactors to donate generously to our cause. It is because of the excellent educational opportunity offered through our 45 Catholic schools that we have a waiting list of students who rely on us as their "Hope for the Future.” A 2009 Notre Dame University study shares with us exhaustive research on the invaluable resource Catholic schools are to inner-city children, particularly those in low income neighborhoods. One study in Allentown, Pennsylvania revealed that Hispanic Catholic children would be 42 percent more likely to graduate from high school and two and half times more likely to graduate from college if they were able to attend a Catholic school in their neighborhood. Similarly, a recent study in Los Angeles found that 98 percent of low-income, minority children who attend Catholic schools graduate from high school in four years, compared to only 66 percent of public school students. Here in our Archdiocese of San Antonio, the story is much the same for financially disadvantaged families. Our Catholic school principals are frustrated to see families walk away from a Catholic school education because they cannot afford to cover the tuition. As their children’s primary educators, these parents know the Catholic family of teachers and administrators will always be at their side in educating and nurturing their child academically, spiritually and morally. For these low-income families who cannot afford to send their children to Catholic schools without tuition assistance from Hope for the Future, a public school is the only alternative. Unfortunately, public schools have not met the expectations of parents in educating and developing their children. Our Catholic schools far exceed the local public schools in many areas, particularly in strong academics, flourishing family involvement, character building through self expression in music, dance, art and performance, exceptional cultural, moral and spiritual development and most specifically, in keeping students in school through graduation. The drop out rate for San Antonio inner city public high schools is as high as 28%. In the Catholic schools, more than 70% of our elementary school graduates go on to attend Catholic high schools, which have a 0% drop out rate and an overall graduation rate of 99.1%. It is our “Hope for the Future” children whose extraordinary success and enduring gratitude, inspire us to reach our potential for charity and goodness. We humbly take up their cause everyday, knowing each student who is given the challenge of a Catholic school education, will rise in ways greater than those measured in a classroom.