Chris Miller and Elizabeth Samples are members of the Futures Leadership Council and serve as co-chairs of the Membership Committee. Chris is a Producer at The Miller Group. Elizabeth is Senior Counsel at Husch Blackwell and also a member of CEF's Board of Directors.
What Is CEF Futures?
CEF Futures is a group of young professionals ages 21 to 40 that volunteers time, talent and treasure to support the important work of the Catholic Education Foundation. While CEF’s overall mission is to provide children in need with scholarships to attend Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, CEF Futures is responsible for raising money specifically for the Guardian Angel Fund – a fund that provides short-term emergency scholarships when CEF families face unexpected financial difficulties.
There are countless stories of families who have been supported through the CEF Guardian Angel Fund – thanks in large part most recently to the work of CEF Futures. When facing challenges from an illness, a job loss, or other unexpected events, CEF families often worry about how their children will be able to stay enrolled in a Catholic school. The Guardian Angel Fund provides financial support to resolve this concern. This allows the families to focus their energies on dealing with whatever current difficulty they are facing – a relief and, many say, a blessing.
In one recent situation, a CEF father was diagnosed with cancer. Because of his treatment schedule, he was unable to continue working. The mother took on a second job, but the family has struggled to make ends meet with the added medical expenses. As the CEF principal wrote in her scholarship request on their behalf, “They are an incredibly generous family by donating volunteer time, offering prayers for others, etc. The father attends daily Mass in addition to Sunday and is always willing to volunteer and help whenever we have the need. The daughter is an excellent student and kind to every single person at our school. She is a beautiful example for the younger students.”
Thanks to the Futures and the Guardian Angel Fund, the student will be able to remain in her CEF school for the coming year.
CEF Futures Events
CEF Futures events are the sole source of income for the Guardian Angel Fund. To maintain the fund, CEF Futures hosts an annual Art Event at the Boulevard Brewery and supports CEF’s annual awards dinner, Gaudeamus.
Gaudeamus provides networking opportunities with over 1,500 CEF supporters. What is more, the stories shared during the event and the support provided by the attendees are incredibly inspiring. This year’s Gaudeamus event will be held on October 29.
The Art Event features both professional and CEF student art, along with Boulevard drinks, appetizers, desserts and live entertainment. This year’s art event raised enough funds for 36 Guardian Angel Scholarships, providing direct support to 36 CEF families.
Get Involved!
Next year’s Art Event will be February 23, 2017. With your help, we hope to be able to support even more CEF families next year.
If you are a young professional looking to become more involved in local education and to help change the life of a child, CEF Futures is the perfect opportunity to dedicate time to an important end, while working alongside other community members from a variety of professional backgrounds who have a similar commitment to CEF and its mission.
Please contact us if you are interested in joining CEF Futures. We hope you will consider how you can contribute to this wonderful group and mission.
