Zena Weist is a CEF Board Member and Strategy Director at Level Five Solutions in Kansas City. Follow Zena @zenaweist.
We attended our first Gaudeamus in 2011. Joan Wells, who is on the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) board, asked my husband, John, and me to attend. Joan had been sharing tidbits about CEF and we were interested in learning more.
Our first Gaudeamus did not disappoint - from the “Catch Up with Everyone Catholic” cocktail hour; to the Mater Dei Drumline welcome; with Michael Morrisey’s heartfelt CEF overview; and the wonderful dinner with great friends; along with the inspiring and faith-filled story a Kansas City mother of CEF children shared about how the CEF scholarships helped her family achieve; to the evening blessing by Archbishop Naumann - Gaudeamus was a faith-changing event for John and me.
We heard from Michael that 98.7% of CEF students graduate from high school compared to 70% of their peers. Please read that sentence again. Let it soak in. How incredible is this stat! This fact means not only are we helping more children receive a Catholic education, we are helping more families in our area with economic gain.
In 2012, we hosted a Gaudeamus table and I asked Joan how I could help more. In 2013, I was honored to be asked to join the CEF board.
I can’t tell you how much more I garner from CEF than I give. By helping CEF, John and I know we are impactful difference makers right here in our own community. From the student thank you notes to the school faculty testimonials to the astonishing stats showing the difference we are making, CEF is an organization we are so proud to take part in.
John and I hope to see you at Gaudeamus on October 25. It is THE celebration of all of CEF’s year long work of providing Northeast Kansas families a hand up not a hand out. Join us and become Northeast Kansas Archdiocesan difference makers!
