Nov. 4 rally to raise scholarship funds for Mother Theodore Catholic Academies

By John Shaughnessy

Tom Dale has seen the difference that the archdiocese’s Mother Theodore Catholic Academies in Indianapolis have made in the lives of children from families in need.

“These are center city schools,” says Dale, who has been a board member of the Mother Theodore Catholic Academies for seven years. “Many of the children are on the federal subsidized lunch program. Their parents are making a choice to put them in a school that will affect their lives. The vast majority go on to a Catholic high school, and they have a greater chance of going on to college and graduating. These schools change their lives.”

That’s why Dale is inviting people to a rally on Nov. 4 to raise scholarship funds for students at the four Catholic academies—Central Catholic School, Holy Angels School, Holy Cross Central School and St. Philip Neri School.

The rally will be from 7:30-8 a.m. in the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center at 1400 N. Meridian St., in Indianapolis. During the rally, participants will be informed of the double benefit that their contribution can have—making Catholic education an option for all families while creating a substantial tax credit for the donor.

A Tax Credit Scholarship of at least $500 per child, given for one year, allows an eligible student to receive the state school voucher the following year and for up to 12 years of education in a Catholic school—a potential of $60,000 in state voucher assistance, according to Mary McCoy, the archdiocese’s assistant superintendent for Catholic schools.

From a donor’s standpoint, there is also the appeal of a tax benefit from contributing to a scholarship. With a 50 percent state tax credit and, for example, a 28 percent federal deduction, a donor can give $1,000 toward scholarships for as little as $360.

For those who pay taxes at a federal rate of 28 percent, and with a 50 percent state tax credit, a donor can give $10,000 toward scholarships for as little as $3,600, McCoy said.

Contributions will help the Mother Theodore Catholic Academies continue to fulfill their motto of “Shaping Spirits, Minds and Futures,” Dale says.

“It starts with the academics and parents making that choice for their children,” he says. “Then you have the influence of the CYO [Catholic Youth Organization] on them—whether it’s the chess club, the music contest or athletics. It all makes a difference in shaping their spirits and their futures.”
 

(To RSVP to the rally or to make a donation or a pledge for a Tax Credit Scholarship, contact Rosemary O’Brien in the archdiocese’s Office of Stewardship and Development at 317-236-1568 or 1-800-382-9836, ext. 1568. She can also be reached by e-mail at robrien@archindy.org. You can also learn how to help children receive need-based scholarships by visiting the website, www.archindy.org/stewardship/ccsv.html. For more information about voucher eligibility, visit the website, www.i4qed.org.) †