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CCF awards nearly $400K in grants
By Andrew Junker, ajunker@catholicsun.org
November 6, 2008
The Catholic Community Foundation awarded more than $386,000 to 63 recipients at its annual luncheon Oct. 9 at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
The grants help local Catholic schools and organizations that promote Catholic education, formation, communication and work among the poor.
The luncheon “provides an opportunity to personally meet the people within our Catholic community who have invested their time and hard work in service to our Church and those in need,” said Maureen Adams, chairwoman of the grants committee.
The grants support organizations like Radio Family Rosary, which broadcasts the rosary and religious talks daily, VirtueMedia, which produces pro-life television ads and the Bioethics Defense Fund.
Other recipients included Maggie’s Place, a home for pregnant women and St. Joseph the Worker, which helps homeless men and women find work.
“The purpose of the grants program is to support the greater Catholic community,” Adams said. “Catholic stewardship through the Catholic Community Foundation is worth so much more than just the dollars invested.”
Future leaders
Catholic schools also benefit yearly from the foundation’s grants. Salesian Sister Ignacia Carillo, principal of St. John Vianney Elementary and Preschool in Goodyear, said the grant money helps keep children in Catholic education.
“A good 75 percent of our families depend on scholarships,” she said. “They’re hardworking families and they want a Catholic education, but they would not be able to send their kids to Catholic schools without some kind of financial aid.”
Sr. Ignacia said that the financial assistance provided to the families helps the larger parish community as well.
“These families give back,” she said. “They’re the ones who are constantly at our door saying, ‘What do you need? What can we do?’ They’re leaders in the community.”
Mary Frances Malinoski, principal of St. Daniel the Prophet School in Scottsdale, said the $9,000 worth of grants her school received goes straight to the families who need it most.
“To see the look of gratitude on the faces of parents who might have felt disenfranchised is so rewarding and heartwarming,” Malinoski said. “Giving all children an excellent academic foundation while developing them into future leaders of the Catholic Church is priceless.”
It’s also what makes it all worthwhile, Adams said.
“We are working to develop future leaders and meet basic humanitarian needs through our faith and the financial support of our donors,” she said. “The greatest joy is knowing the many lives we touch.”
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