By Emily Drooby
“They’re very welcoming. They care about you they provide a christ centered learning place and an environment of love justice and peace,” said Chrisly, a student at Saints Joachim and Anne Catholic Academy who loves her school.
Christy is able to attend Saints Joachim and Anne through the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which helps send children to all different types of private schools.
They make a big impact the lives of Catholic students in Brooklyn and Queens – giving away 3.6 million dollars in scholarships every year to over 1,800 students — through a partnership with Futures in Education.
“For a lot of families, the school that they’re assigned to by their zip code, is not someplace where they believe their child will flourish,” explained the fund’s president, Darla Romfo. “And we are so happy and pleased to be able to provide scholarships so that children can go to schools that their parents choose.”
To Kick off Catholic Schools Week in the Brooklyn Diocese, she toured the school, meeting with Chrisly and other students to see firsthand how Catholic schools help students learn, serve, lead and succeed.
She also got see the faithful foundation Cartholic teachers instill in their students. As a Catholic herself, Darla recognized the importance of this.
“I think it’s so fundamental to our lives to believe that we are created in the likeness and image of God, that we have that place to go to,” she said.
“It is one of the best ways to do evangelization and also to keep our faith alive,” explained Father Nixon Jean Francois, the school’s pastor.
These schools are keeping the faith alive and educating the next generation of Catholics.