My faith and education are very important to me, and you give me the opportunity to learn at a faith based school. You don't know how incredibly thankful I am to be at this school. In return, I will remember you in my prayers.
As a CEF donor, you'll see a remarkable return on your investment.
This school year, CEF donors are providing a record $2.6 million of privately funded tuition assistance – more than 1,600 scholarships – for the lowest income students in the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. You can help us meet the need for this school year by supporting CEF scholarships today!
Last spring, when the pandemic closed schools across the state, our students received a continuum of academic instruction, maintaining their studies with full-time instruction from their classroom teachers. This fall, our Catholic schools opened for parents' preferences of in-person or virtual instruction, and haven't missed a beat. Our outstanding teachers and administrators showed their unfailing dedication to their students and spiritual calling by accommodating students' and families' unique needs while maintaining rigorous safety and health protocols.
IMPACT ON STUDENTS: CEF scholarships benefit the most at-risk students in our communities. All of our scholarship recipients qualify for free or reduced lunch as determined by federal poverty standards. Despite their challenging circumstances, CEF scholarship students achieve a 99% graduation rate, compared to 77% in neighboring high schools. Nearly 97% of our high school graduates go on to college or career educational training, compared with 45% of their peers in other schools.
As Cardinal Sean O'Malley said recently, "No institution in the country is as successful in moving children from poverty to middle-class as Catholic schools."
IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES: CEF scholars attended 25 different K-12 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese this year, in both urban and rural communities. In many of those communities, our Catholic schools are the only choice for parents seeking an alternative educational solution for their children. Catholic schools have long histories serving these communities, and provide safe, supportive environments, academic rigor and faith formation that reliably produce graduates who go on to become productive, contributing members of their communities. The average CEF scholarship graduate will make a positive net fiscal contribution of $292,000 to his or her community.*
Your contribution to CEF will help fund these scholarships for students who will reliably accomplish the intended result of your investment. Take a look at this brief video to see how the impact of your gift can transform lives, and consider a donation to support students like this:
*Center for Labor Market Study, 2019, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
