Joan Wells is the Chair of the CEF Board of Directors and CEO of Wellington.
Indulge me on a journey with the ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future, but be careful that what you see will make you uncomfortable!
We keep hearing about the “gift” of a Catholic education. And of course we are not like the mean-spirited Ebenezer Scrooge. But most of us are blissfully unaware about the impact of a Catholic education on disadvantaged youth.
First up we meet the Ghost of Christmases Past. He shows us our own Catholic educations, or our high-quality, safe, public educations. You smile and reminisce.
We glide on by the CEF office where the team is burning the midnight oil to make high-quality, faith-filled education possible for children living in poverty.
Next we meet the Ghost of Christmas Present. He shows us the 395 at-risk kids on the waiting list to attend Catholic schools in our Archdiocese—those for whom Catholic education is not just a perk but a lifeline, and their families are willing to work hard and sacrifice to pay for part of their children’s tuition.
We suddenly arrive at a fork in the road ... some kids full of faith and promise are forced to turn down the dark road to a school with a dismal graduation rate that sends only 33% of its graduates off to college. Others receive the GIFT of a Catholic Education made possible by donors like you who have funded CEF scholarships and they part from their peers and take the road less traveled.
Lastly we meet the Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. He shows us the end products of these CEF Scholarships — lives changed forever. As we see kids headed off to college — the first in their families. We see joyful faces attending Mass regularly and basking in a school experience free of the pressures found in most inner city schools.
We see faithful young adults contributing to their communities, proud of their Catholic identities, and breaking the cycle of poverty.
God bless us every one!
