The Board of Trustees for the South Jersey Scholarship Fund (SJSF) presented South Jersey Catholic Schools with a check for $175,000 on June 17. The ceremony took place at Saint John Paul II Regional School in Stratford, where a group of students celebrated on behalf of all schools, demonstrating the thrill of crossing the goal line.
“The campaign has been a huge success,” said Mariann Gilbride, director of Development for the Diocese of Camden and a SJSF board member. “It’s not over yet, but the board wanted to share the great news while school was still in session.”
Each school raises money to provide annual tuition assistance to families in need. The SJSF offers an additional source of tuition aid across the diocese. In 2020, the fund provided just over $50,000 in support, divided among all schools. Seventy-five families received awards averaging nearly $700 each.
Gilbride said the board chose the Spring Sprint campaign as a way to jump start new fundraising efforts.
“We decided on a goal of $50,000 because we wanted to at least be able to duplicate last year’s distribution,” she said. “We were hoping we could do more, and we are thrilled with the results so far, with a distribution of more than three and a half times last year’s.”
According to Gilbride, contributions have come from a number of sources.
“It’s like God was really watching over this campaign. An anonymous individual provided an incredibly generous gift of $75,000. A number of corporate gifts came in. We received gifts in honor of Bishop (Dennis) Sullivan for the anniversary of his ordination. A family requested contributions in lieu of gifts for their daughter’s college graduation. One organization provided a guaranteed donation with the promise of an additional matching contribution, and we were able to generate the gifts we needed to receive the match. Another huge blessing was a large bequest, which will be distributed this year and next,” she said.
Gilbride said the board was especially moved by the number of donations made by individuals responding to a personal appeal and ads on social media.
“People recognize the importance of the Catholic school ministry, especially with the way our schools delivered during the pandemic,” she said, referring to the fact that Catholic schools in the Diocese of Camden were open for full-time, in-person learning throughout the school year.
“Spring Sprint officially ends June 30, but the need is ongoing,” said Gilbride. “We will happily accept donations at any time during the year, and this year 100% of those donations will be used for tuition scholarships. Every dollar helps a family with the cost of a Catholic school education. Every dollar makes a difference.”
Donations to the South Jersey Scholarship Fund are accepted all year long. The Spring Sprint is a concentrated effort to strengthen scholarship opportunities in all schools.
For more information and to make a contribution, call 856-583-6125 or visit http://bit.ly/SJScholarshipFund
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