The Cardinal’s Circle helps students succeed
February 12, 2019
Above, Resurrection Catholic School Principal Dora Martinez with Circle Members Diane Riley and Andrea B. Maher. Below, The Cardinal’s Circle members Jim and Jennifer Stevens receive handmade flowers. Photos courtesy of The Cardinal’s Circle.
HOUSTON — The mission of The Cardinal’s Circle is to help Inner City Catholic Schools maintain a standard of academic excellence in curriculum and staff, and provide tuition assistance required by a large portion of their student population.
Through an annual contribution of $5,000, members invest in the lives of students at the Inner City Catholic Schools, which provide opportunities for urban children and their families faced with incredible financial challenges.
Dora Martinez, principal at Resurrection Catholic School, said that the principals at the Inner City Catholic Schools decide how to utilize the funds they receive on a monthly basis from The Cardinal’s Circle, always keeping in mind what is best for the children.
“For some of us, the answer to that question may be to use the funds to purchase academic materials such as textbooks and workbooks or to retain teachers or to provide tuition assistance,” she said. “Some schools have used their funds to provide students with real life experiences through field trips that allow them to learn through hands on activities and broaden their horizons that otherwise they may not be able to experience.”
Martinez said Resurrection Catholic School, much like all Inner City Catholic Schools, serves predominantly low-income minority families. The Cardinal’s Circle assists these families secure the education Martinez didn’t have growing up.
“I have been coming to Resurrection Catholic Church since I was 4 years old. Unfortunately for my brothers and I, back then there was no The Cardinal’s Circle, which would have assisted my parents to secure the opportunity to have us attend Resurrection Catholic School or any other Catholic School at that time,” she said. “The Cardinal’s Circle exists (now), which allows for low income families such as the one I grew up in to have the opportunities that they deserve and allows for them to receive not only the academic education they should but one that is rooted in our faith.”
Andrea B. Maher and her husband Jim have been loyal members of The Cardinal’s Circle since 2015.
“The mission of the organization is what attracted us in the first place and it is what keeps us committed,” she said. “We truly enjoy meeting the students as well as the faculty and staff. They are a true testimony of this wonderful organization.”
Maher said she and her husband are strong believers in Catholic education.
“We think that it provides a rigorous academic curriculum and teaches the moral values and social responsibility that the world needs,” she said. “We are the product of Catholic education and our children have always attended Catholic schools. We are glad to contribute to The Cardinal’s Circle so other children and their families can benefit from a Catholic education independently of their financial situation.”
For more information, visit www.choosecatholicschools.org/cc. †