The History of The Catholic Foundation
It was over 45 years ago that a handful of dedicated Catholic business leaders recognized the need for a private, non-profit effort to support educational, religious and charitable projects and agencies. To meet these needs, they established The Catholic Foundation. In the years since its formation, The Catholic Foundation has provided millions of dollars of grants benefiting the needy and the deserving.
The Catholic Foundation's Mission
According to President Edwin M. Schaffler, The Catholic Foundation was established by its founders around the mission of promoting Christian principles through programs of compassionate charitable giving and financial resource management reflecting a commitment to serve the physical and spiritual needs of the community.
The Grant Recipients
Hundreds of religious, educational and charitable agencies have improved their services, personnel and facilities thanks to the grants provided by The Catholic Foundation. In order to be considered for one of these highly coveted grants, the requesting group must show that it meets the physical or spiritual needs of the Catholic community. Organizations can contact The Catholic Foundation for information on how to apply for a grant.
Creating The Resources
To make the grants, the Foundation must have the resources to do so and that is where our benefactors and the wise stewards of the Foundation come into play. The Catholic Foundation Serves our Catholic Community not only by its grants, but also by assisting its benefactors with their planned gifts, both large and small. The Foundation offers planning assistance and administration in the following areas:
Charitable Gift Annuities,
Charitable Remainder and Charitable Lead Trusts,
Donor Advised Warehouse Funds and
Advise and Consult Funds.
The Catholic Foundation
5310 Harvest Hill Road, Suite 248
Dallas, TX 75230
Phone: 972/661-9792 Fax: 972/661-0140
Our School
Originally founded in 1877 in Sherman, St. Mary's Catholic School currently is the only Catholic school in Grayson County and has an enrollment of 120 students, 95% of whom are Catholic. Our mission is to educate each child in a spirit of faith, gospel values and academic excellence according to Roman Catholic principles. The school's aim is to prepare students to be well versed in the Catholic faith, academically prepared to continue their education, Christian in attitude and outlook, and prepared to give service to the community.
Due to hard economic times in recent years, the enrollment of St. Mary's has dropped significantly. The loss of tuition has created a financial hardship for our school, but the dedicated teachers, parents and parishioners continue to put forth their best efforts to keep St. Mary's operating.
Success Requires Assistance
| Many areas of our school facilities need
to be improved, repaired or replaced in order for us to provide a safer
environment for our children and all St. Mary's parishioners. While the safety of our children is our top priority, we are also hopeful that these school improvements will attract new families to St. Mary's School. We strongly believe in continuing to make a Catholic education available for families who want their children educated in a safe, loving Catholic environment. |
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The Catholic Foundation Receives A Request for Assistance
In its ongoing search to distribute funds to deserving religious, educational and charitable organizations, The Catholic Foundation's Distribution Committee received a grant request from St. Mary's Catholic School for assistance in purchasing a fire alarm system, intercoms, door replacements and conducting an asbestos check. According to Hugh O'Brien of the Foundation's Distribution Committee, "We believe that these items are critically important to the school."
A Partnership Results Based on the funding available and needs requested by St. Mary's Catholic School, the Foundation deemed that funds were available to support the "partnership" in the amount of $39,500 for a fire alarm system, intercoms, door replacements and the asbestos check.
