| Description |
<br> <br> Normal <br> 0 <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> false <br> false <br> false <br> <br> EN-US <br> X-NONE <br> X-NONE <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }<br> <br> <br><br> <br> <br> /* Style Definitions */<br> table.MsoNormalTable<br> {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";<br> mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;<br> mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;<br> mso-style-noshow:yes;<br> mso-style-priority:99;<br> mso-style-qformat:yes;<br> mso-style-parent:"";<br> mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;<br> mso-para-margin:0in;<br> mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;<br> mso-pagination:widow-orphan;<br> font-size:11.0pt;<br> font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";<br> mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;<br> mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;<br> mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";<br> mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;<br> mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;<br> mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;<br> mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";<br> mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}<br> <br> <br> Hope for the Future aims to assist in funding the Catholic<br>education of more than 3,000 school-age children in San Antonio, whose poverty-stricken families are<br>seeking tuition assistance for an opportunity to send their child or children to<br>one of the 45 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. For Hope for the Future to give tuition<br>assistance to all the financially deserving families who apply, we estimate we<br>will need $4.4 million in funding. Hope<br>for the Future is very cognizant of this great need for help in our community, because<br>for two years we have been providing tuition assistance to as many deserving<br>children in San Antonio<br>as our resources will allow. Hope for<br>the Future received tuition assistance requests from 1,170 students in 2009. Because of the generosity of many<br>corporations, foundations and individuals, we were able to make the Catholic<br>school dream a reality for 401 students. Yet, unfortunately, funding levels did not<br>reach the other 769 eligible students. As<br>we meet many of these families and review their applications, we are keenly<br>aware of the great sacrifices our “Hope for the Future” parents make to enroll<br>their students in a Catholic school. Additionally,<br>teachers, administrators and parents share with us that the “Hope for the<br>Future” students are models of gratitude and achievement. Affording these children the opportunity to<br>attain a Catholic school education at one of our schools, is critical to the<br>forward progress of a large section of our community, which ultimately has a<br>ripple effect throughout our city and beyond our borders. <br> <br> Created under the guidance of the Most Reverend José H.<br>Gomez, the Archbishop of San Antonio and community leaders, Hope for the Future<br>is uniquely designed to accomplish the goals of filling Catholic classrooms and<br>maintaining the strong traditions of faith, service and moral and spiritual<br>development that are the hallmarks of a Catholic education. His vision is being realized everyday as more<br>and more financially deserving students are proudly attending the Catholic<br>school of their choice in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. To assure the continued realization of the<br>Archbishop’s vision, we pursue our goals through several development measures,<br>including solicitation of donations from businesses, alumni, parishes and<br>individuals, as well as grant requests from generous foundations like the<br>Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, Inc. Hope for the Future also is under the<br>direction of a vibrant, creative and hard-working board of directors, whose<br>ideas are securing more funding, and providing a greater network, more outreach<br>and lines of volunteers. Through them,<br>we have implemented fundraising opportunities including sponsorships of one or<br>more students, or a school, the annual Khaki & Plaid Party, and a 5K run,<br>all benefiting Hope for the Future. <br> <br> We support, promote and work hand in hand on partnerships<br>with Catholic universities, foundations, corporations and individuals. We also are an integral part of the think tank<br>that makes up our administrative team of superintendents and principals. The superior quality of our Catholic school<br>education enhances our support in the community and inspires benefactors to<br>donate generously to our cause. It is<br>because of the excellent educational opportunity offered through our 45 Catholic<br>schools that we have a waiting list of students who rely on us as their<br>"Hope for the Future.” <br> <br> A 2009 Notre Dame University study shares with us exhaustive<br>research on the invaluable resource Catholic schools are to inner-city children,<br>particularly those in low income neighborhoods. One study in Allentown, Pennsylvania<br>revealed that Hispanic Catholic children would be 42 percent more likely to<br>graduate from high school and two and half times more likely to graduate from<br>college if able to attend a Catholic school in their neighborhood. Similarly, a recent study in Los Angeles found that 98 percent of<br>low-income, minority children who attend Catholic schools graduate from high<br>school in four years, compared to only 66 percent of public school students. <br> <br> Here in our Archdiocese of San Antonio, the story is much<br>the same for financially disadvantaged families. Our Catholic school principals are frustrated to<br>see families walk away from a Catholic school education because they cannot<br>afford to cover the tuition. As their children’s primary educators, these<br>parents know the Catholic family of teachers and administrators will always be<br>at their side in educating and nurturing their child academically, spiritually<br>and morally. For these low-income<br>families who cannot afford to send their children to Catholic schools without<br>tuition assistance from Hope for the Future, a public school is the only<br>alternative. Unfortunately, public<br>schools have not met the expectations of parents in educating and developing<br>their children. Our Catholic schools far<br>exceed the local public schools in many areas, particularly in strong<br>academics, flourishing family involvement, character building through self<br>expression in music, dance, art and performance, exceptional cultural, moral<br>and spiritual development and most specifically, in keeping students in school<br>through graduation. The drop out rate<br>for San Antonio<br>inner city public high schools is as high as 28%. In the Catholic schools, over 70% of our<br>elementary school graduates go on to attend Catholic high schools, which have a<br>0% drop out rate and an overall graduation rate of 99.1%. <br> <br> It is our “Hope for the Future” children whose extraordinary<br>success and enduring gratitude, inspire us to reach our potential for charity<br>and goodness. We humbly take up their cause everyday, knowing each student who<br>is given the challenge of a Catholic school education, will rise in ways<br>greater than those measured in a classroom. <br> <br> |
