NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas is coming early this year for the students and teachers at Catholic elementary schools in New York, thanks to a generous $2 million donation to Inner-City Scholarship Fund (Inner-City) from the John and Daria Barry Foundation. This donation – the largest in the Foundation's history – will support Inner-City's charitable mission benefitting low-income students attending Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of New York.
Funding in the amount of $1.2 million will support capital improvements at the Sacred Heart of Jesus campus of School of the Blessed Sacrament in Manhattan, with a focus on enabling classrooms to support STEM education. This includes funding for a Makerspace, an area where students can harness their creativity to build intellectual and physical materials using computers, 3-D printers, audio and video capture and editing tools, and traditional arts and crafts supplies. The STEM-centric classrooms will be named in honor of the Barry Family.
Exactly $100,000 will support one year of academic coaching and professional development for teachers at Our Lady of Victory School in Mount Vernon, Guardian Angel School in Manhattan and one additional archdiocesan elementary school, which will be determined at a later date. The funding will support blended learning, a new approach to education which will provide students with a variety of technology-enabled learning programs for independent and small group instruction. This model will generate data for teachers on each student's progress and help students to have control over the pace of their learning.
Approximately $700,000 will provide need-based tuition assistance to qualified Catholic school families through Inner-City's scholarship programs. Students receiving this support will be designated as Barry Scholars.
Since 2012, the John and Daria Barry Foundation has given to veterans, education and environment organizations. John Barry is the Chief Executive Officer of Prospect Capital Management where his wife, Daria, is the Head of Administration.
John and Daria Barry, the trustees of the foundation, have been long-time supporters of Inner-City. For over a decade, the family has generously supported Inner-City's scholarship programs.
"This is the largest donation that our family has given to an organization since we opened the foundation," said Elizabeth Swanson. "Inner-City Scholarship Fund was one of the first organizations we wanted to support. They have helped so many children grow, and we want to elevate the program with this contribution."
Susan George, Executive Director of Inner-City Scholarship Fund, said, "John and Daria have given the greatest gift of all this holiday season, the gift of education. I am extremely grateful to them for making a difference in the lives of our students, our teachers and our Catholic schools."
"My parents feel strongly that a good education is very important for children regardless of family income level. Every child deserves to have access to a high quality, safe school environment," said Elizabeth Swanson, daughter of John and Daria Barry. "We all believe that the key to having a full life is through a great education, and Inner-City Scholarship Fund helps children reach their potential."
About Inner-City Scholarship Fund
Inner-City Scholarship Fund was founded in 1971 by the late Terence Cardinal Cooke and a group of prominent executives of many religious beliefs. Inner-City provides tuition assistance to over 8,000 students (93% minority and 33% non-Catholic). An astonishing 98% percent of seniors attending inner-city Catholic high schools graduate, and 95% pursue post-secondary education at some of the finest universities in the nation.
http://www.innercityscholarshipfund.org/
SOURCE Inner-City Scholarship Fund