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MADISON — The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation, Inc. (CDMF) is excited to announce a new fund that will provide tuition assistance to families seeking a Catholic education at a Diocese of Madison parish grade school (K-8).
The Hathaway Family Tuition Assistance Endowment was established in December of 2018 by a generous gift from Steve and Elaine Hathaway and their families.
When determining how the Hathaways would leave their legacy, Elaine recalled her parents, who made it a priority to have their seven children attend Catholic grade school, only made possible by receiving tuition assistance from their parish.
“It was wonderful attending Catholic school where God was such a presence in our formation and education, and Steve and I provided the same for our three sons. We strongly believe a Catholic education should be made possible for all those families seeking it, and God has blessed our family with the means to establish the Hathaway Family Tuition Assistance Fund for this purpose,” shared Elaine.
How the fund works
In 2020, over $27,000 will be awarded in tuition assistance to support multiple schools in the diocese. What a great way to kick off Catholic Schools Week! All Catholic grade school pastors and principals are encouraged to apply for grants from this fund on behalf of those families in need of financial aid.
The CDMF’s newly established Grant Review Committee, along with Bishop Donald Hying who serves as the Chairman of the Board, will determine grant recipients later this spring.
Value of a Catholic education
The CDMF would like to thank all of the teachers, students, families, and parishes that make up the Catholic schools community — it is an incredibly important part of our diocese and the future of the Church. Michael Lancaster, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Madison, shares his own experience growing up with a Catholic education:
Once there were three of us, my parents couldn’t afford the tuition for Catholic school for each of us. Although my mother’s greatest desire was to stay home and raise us, she took a job and my parents applied for financial aid so that my siblings and I could all stay in Catholic elementary and high school.
Growing in our faith was critical to my parents and the Catholic schools reinforced the faith our parents were instilling in us at home. I am forever grateful to my parents for the sacrifices they made to send us to Catholic schools, and I am grateful to all those parishioners and donors, who I never knew, who made it possible for us to attend. Truly, it changed our lives.
This is the first year the CDMF is able to offer grants. It is exciting to see how this fund will serve the schools and families of our diocese, and the CDMF looks forward to other opportunities to expand their grant giving capabilities.
If you would like to learn about how to create your own family legacy, or would like to contribute to the Hathaway Family Tuition Assistance Fund, please visit www.diocesemadisonfoundation.org or call 608-821-3049 for more information.
Erin Kerns is the development coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation.