Last spring, I attended a Catholic conference and began talking with the woman sitting next to me. We had never met, so we spent our breaks and lunch period that day sharing pieces of our personal and professional lives. For me, those two parts of my life are pretty inseparable.
I have spent my entire career at Saints Peter and Paul School and have been principal here for more than 33 years. My students—
their needs, their dreams, their struggles, their achievements—are at the center of my work, my thoughts, and a whole lot of my prayers, especially lately.
This economy has us all stretched too thin. But for more and more of my families, money is so tight that there is nothing more to give. And a Catholic education is becoming a dream they simply can't afford. Recently, I have sat quietly with family after family, listening. Their stories are all different, but each one ends the same way..."We love it here, but we just can't afford it."
That day at the conference, I told all this to my new friend, and I couldn't hide my feelings of helplessness. "I can't bear letting these families walk away from Catholic education, and I don't know how to help them. What do you think I should do?"
As the conference was wrapping up, my friend placed something in my hand. I looked down and saw a check for $1,700. She asked me to put it toward the tuition of a student in need. I was speechless! This lovely lady was a stranger to me just a few hours before. She had no previous connection to St. Pete's or any of my students. Just a heartfelt desire to make sure a child didn't miss out on the lifelong gift of a Catholic education. And the determination to support that dream as best she could.
Driving home that night, I kept thinking about this woman and her unexpected gifts—of generosity, and most of all, hope. I don't know if she knew it, but she was the answer to my prayers. It was like she was heaven-sent. But then, most angels usually are.
Kathleen Burt, Principal
It was from this encounter that the Saints Peter and Paul School Tuition Angels program was inspired. This program matches your tuition sponsorship directly to a waiting student in need. One hundred percent of each sponsorship gift provides direct aid to a child, paying part or all of his or her annual tuition here.
Our 2012-2013 annual tuition is $4,000 per student. More
and more of our current and prospective families are facing financial hardships that are keeping them from enrolling their children at St. Pete's this fall.
We need more Tuition Angels who can pay full or partial tuition for a waiting student. If you would like to become a Tuition Angel, please contact Kathleen Burt at at 508-672-7258 or kburt@saintspeterandpaulschool.net.
Give a child wings. Become a Tuition Angel.
Click here to lend your support.
