Oak Park School Redefines Financial Aid for Its Students After Receiving $1 Million Grant

An Oak Park school announced Thursday it has received a $1 million donation — a larger sum than any in history — from alumni who are passionate about the right to a solid education.

Jack Crowe and his wife, Peggy Toohey Crowe, both graduates of the St. Giles Catholic School (1942 and 1948, respectively), will be honored next Tuesday in a special mass celebration that will take place at 1 p.m. at the St. Giles Church in Oak Park. The $1 million grant has been funneled into what’s being called the "Jack and Peggy Crowe Catholic Education Endowment Fund."

“We are thrilled and grateful to the Crowes for their generosity,” Beth Linnen, the school’s director of development, said in a release. “Through the Catholic Education Endowment Fund, the Crowes are giving back to help other families receive a Catholic education like they did.”

The fund will provide need-based financial assistance to families who may not be able to otherwise pay for tuition at the St. Giles School. According to a release from the school, St. Giles has had to make tough allocation decisions in recent years regarding its limited funding for financial aid, since it's never really had enough in store.

“Our mission is to partner with families and provide a high-quality Catholic education to all who desire one,” School Principal Nancy Zver said in the release. “In the past, our sources have limited the number of families we were able to support in their wish to secure a place in the supportive and rigorous educational environment St. Giles School provides. This visionary gift made by Mr. and Mrs. Crowe will help the school mission be realized for many more dedicated families long into our future, solidifying the foundation of an already vibrant and vital school.”

The new fund will now allow the school to allocate as much as $50,000 a year among families in need of tuition assistance.

“The future of Catholic education depends on this kind of support from alumni of our schools,” Linnen said.

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