CEDAR LAKE — The mission of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gary will receive unprecedented support in the coming decade as the result of a $150 million commitment from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation.
Historic $150 million donation will ‘build a brighter future’ for Diocese of Gary schools.
The foundation will donate that amount over the course of 10 years to Big Shoulders Fund, a charitable organization supporting Catholic schools in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, for use in the Diocese of Gary.
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Leaders of the foundation, diocese and fund were joined by state officials Wednesday morning for a celebratory announcement of the donation at the Lighthouse restaurant on the shore of Cedar Lake.
The funds will be invested in “initiatives that aim to improve the quality, accessibility and sustainability of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gary,” the organizations said in a news release issued before Wednesday’s event.
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Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation Executive Director Bill Hanna announces a huge donation for the benefit of the Diocese of Gary.
They called it the largest single investment in pre–K–12 Catholic education in history and linked it to the success of the state’s Indiana Choice Scholarship program, which provides many families the funds needed to attend private schools.
In prepared statements, leaders of the partnering organizations and state government emphasized the extraordinary partnership among the White foundation, Big Shoulders Fund and Catholic schools, dating to the fund’s founding in 1986 by the Archdiocese of Chicago and its expansion into Northwest Indiana five years ago.
“We know that access to high-quality, values-based education is as important as anything we can support, and our efforts would not be complete without a deep commitment to the Catholic schools that have been a critical part of the fabric of Northwest Indiana for decades,” said Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Family. “Big Shoulders Fund and the Diocese of Gary have developed an effective partnership over the last five years that led us to this moment.”
“My late husband, Bruce, and I share the belief that education is an equalizer that is paramount to making the world a better place,” Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation Trustee Beth White said. “This initiative, very much like a lighthouse, will be a beacon to the youth of Northwest Indiana that will provide values-based … and performance-driven education for decades to come,”
Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation Trustee Beth White speaks at an event announcing a huge donation for the benefit of the Diocese of Gary.
Big Shoulders Fund CEO Josh Hale called the donation a once in a lifetime investment that would be used to boost college and career outcomes.
“Today we bear witness to an incredible act of generosity, kindness and selflessness,” Hale said.
Bishop Robert J. McClory said the investment was a vote of confidence in Catholic education and in the value of the diocese's schools.
“Today is a truly historic and transformative day,” said McClory.
State leaders present at the announcement, including Governor Eric Holcomb, Speaker of the Indiana House Todd Huston and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, all thanked the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation for its contribution and congratulated the Diocese of Gary for receiving this donation.
“It’s days like today that remind me that the future here in Indiana, especially for our students, is a bright future,” Holcomb said.
Diocese leaders said there were no specific plans yet on how the funding would be used, but they were putting together a process in order to assess their schools’ needs. However, broadly, officials said the $150 million investment will focus primarily on serving students and communities with the highest economic and educational needs in the Region.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb makes remarks at an event announcing a huge donation for the benefit of the Diocese of Gary.
The gift is exclusively for the purpose and use of schools in the Diocese of Gary system, currently totaling over 6,000 students across 17 elementary/middle schools and three high schools in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Starke counties.
Following the announcement, both Holcomb and Jenner were asked by reporters about traditional public schools being negatively impacted by a potential boost in enrollment in the Catholic schools driven, in part, by the donation.
Both state leaders reaffirmed their support of school choice, with the governor noting that most Hoosier students still attend public schools.
“The bottom line is always to make sure families can identify the best scenario for their students to grow and flourish in the classroom as well,” he said.
The secretary of education told The Times she believed local communities having different schooling options provided quality education for all children in the state.
The Diocese of Gary also announced Wednesday that it will establish an independent endowment within The Catholic Foundation for Northwest Indiana by the end of the 2024 calendar year, with a goal of building a fund of up to $50 million over the next 15 years to be used to supplement the compensation of principals, teachers and staff in diocese’s school.
GALLERY: The Times Photos of the Week
Cicadas have emerged in full force at certain Region spots like here at the Gabis Arboretum and other locations.
Cicadas have emerged in full force at certain Region spots like here at the Gabis Arboretum and other locations.
Akea and Demetri Blanco and their children Londyn, 3-months, and Leylon, 10, enjoy the festivities Friday at the Crown Point Corn Fest.
Mike Pankovich enjoys his corn on the cob Friday at the Crown Point Corn Fest.
Sarah Adams offers her 16-month-old daughter Nyla some corn Friday at the Crown Point Corn Fest.
Graduates toss their caps Wednesday at the Crown Point High School graduation ceremony.
Ahmed Odetallah gives his student speech Wednesday at the Crown Point High School graduation ceremony.
Graduating seniors receive their diplomas Wednesday at the Crown Point High School graduation ceremony.
Graduating seniors wave to their families Wednesday at the Crown Point High School graduation ceremony.
An umpire addresses the fans at a Deep River Grinders game.
The Deep River Grinders play vintage ball without mitts, according to 19th century rules.
The Deep River Grinders plays Vintage Baseball Association Teams from across the Midwest.
Morgan Stupeck pulls her kids in a wagon as they blow bubbles with a toy they got from Jojo's Toy Chest.
Pakruti Makam and her two daughters Asha and Arya Crist dressed up to go to the fest, they said they all love fashion.
Jorge Torres, who lost his left leg due to bone cancer, is one of the first to cross the finish line at Leon's Triathlon.
Mike Stockwell of Microsoft, left, and LaPorte Mayor Tom Dermody talk after the City Council approved an agreement for a data center to be constructed on Boyd Boulevard.
LaPorte Economic Advancement Partnership Executive Director Bert Cook outlines an agreement with Microsoft to build a data center before approval was granted by the City Council.
Portage High School teacher Diane Dominguez is retiring. “I learned that all of us have special needs. And everyone needs an individual education plan. But for some people, it actually gets written on paper.”
Diane Dominguez has been an educator there since 1985, teaching students with special needs and emotional disabilities.
“Teachers get into special education to teach these kids what they’ll need to become good citizens,“ Dominguez said. “Many of my kids have gone on to college and beyond.”
Robert Long, a member of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust programs committee, walks on a boardwalk above a wetland area during a guided tour of a new trail at the Michigan City nature preserve.
Eric Bird, an ecologist with the Shirley Heinz Land Trust, points to a map of a new trail at a Michigan City nature preserve.
Morgan Township's Clint Lemmons celebrates his double Saturday at the Class 1A Northern Semistate semifinal baseball game at LaPorte.
Morgan Township's Logan Atchison takes over pitching duties late in the game Saturday at the Class 1A Northern Semistate semifinal baseball game at LaPorte.
Grant Cowger pitches for Morgan Township Saturday at the Class 1A Northern Semistate semifinal baseball game at LaPorte.
Morgan Township's Grant Cowger connects for a single Saturday at the Class 1A Northern Semistate semifinal baseball game at LaPorte.
Morgan Township's Brady Walters waits for Fremont's Mathieu Teegarden following his bunt attempt Saturday at the Class 1A Northern Semistate semifinal baseball game at LaPorte.
Deacon candidates lie prostrate as the congregation prays for them at the diaconal ordination of 16 men Saturday at Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary.
Newly-ordained deacons Ivan Alatorre, left, and Alexander Kouris assist Bishop Robert J. McClory at the altar following the diaconal ordination of 16 men Saturday at Holy Angels Cathedral in Gary. Alatorre and Kouris are transitional deacons and are scheduled for ordination to the priesthood next year.
Young guitarists serenading residents eating tacos and drinking micheladas outside Live in the Ville in Hammond's Hessville neighborhood.
Michael Wooden, owner of Wooden's Curly Fries food truck, takes a fresh batch out of the fryer at Live in the Ville on Saturday, June 1.
Betty Herrera shows off Judy's Micheladas mix, a "Mexican Bloody Mary" beer cocktail, right outside Live in the Ville in Hammond's Hessville neighborhood.
