For Immediate Release

Contact:
Suzanne Ouellette
617.451.7939
suzanne_ouellette@ccab.org

Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy and Teen Center at St. Peter's receives $15 Million Grant from the Yawkey Foundation

The Campaign for Catholic Schools and the Archdiocese of Boston announced a $15 million grant from the Yawkey Foundation to Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy and the Teen Center at St. Peter's. The grant is believed to be the largest single gift made in support of Catholic schools in the 200 year history of the Archdiocese of Boston.

The award will be used to support the construction and renovation of the five school buildings comprising Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester and Mattapan, and the renovation of the St. Peter's Teen Center in Dorchester. The school opened on Monday, September 8, 2008 to 1,500 students in Pre-K thru 8th grade located on five campuses in Dorchester and Mattapan.

Catholic elementary schools in Dorchester and Mattapan are being revitalized through a comprehensive plan, designed to enhance the academics and Catholic faith education with a new regional governance model, new leadership and curriculum along with professional development for all teachers. This effort is part of the Archdiocese of Boston's 2010 Initiative.

Since 2002, The Yawkey Foundation has awarded nearly $200 million to a broad range of organizations. The Foundation's mission is to continue the charitable legacy of Tom and Jean Yawkey by making grants that provide immediate, significant and positive impact on the quality of life of youth, families and the underserved.

Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley said, "With this exceptional and extremely generous grant to the Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy, the Yawkey Foundation is helping hundreds of families in Dorchester and Mattapan and supporting the Archdiocese in our efforts to strengthen Catholic education. This award will enable us to establish the Academy's five campuses as centers of excellence for academics and personal formation, to the benefit of the families we serve in the city of Boston and surrounding communities. We express our significant gratitude to the Yawkey Foundation for this gift and for their many important philanthropic works, through which they help thousands of people to find hope and the opportunity for a better future."

James Healey, President and Trustee of the Yawkey Foundation said, "The Trustees of the Yawkey Foundation are pleased to make this grant to support the Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy and the St Peter's Teen Center. Throughout their lives, Tom and Jean Yawkey championed education as the cornerstone to a life of opportunity and success. By providing high quality education to youth in the Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods, the Archdiocese and the Campaign for Catholic Schools are making an immeasurable investment in the future of our community. "

Jack Connors, Chair of the 2010 Strategic Planning Committee and chair of the Campaign for Catholic Schools, said, "The Yawkey Foundation is making what is believed to be the single largest gift to Catholic schools in the history of the Archdiocese of Boston and certainly one of the largest in Catholic elementary education nationally. Their willingness to commit to Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy and The St Peter Teen Center demonstrates that the Cardinal's vision and that of the 2010 Strategic Planning Committee is bearing much fruit as we go about the work of saving Catholic education in the Archdiocese and serving children in one of the cities largest neighborhoods. This transformational gift reinforces the belief that a Catholic education can provide every child a chance to excel and to reach their true potential."

Dorchester/Mattapan 2010 Fundraising Update The cost to implement the plan is projected to be $71 million and will be paid for largely through private donations. Established in late 2007, the Campaign for Catholic Schools (CCS) will raise the necessary funding for the project and is well underway with extensive outreach to individuals, organizations and philanthropic organizations interested in having a lasting positive impact on Catholic education in the Archdiocese. The Campaign's budget has been covered by private philanthropy. All funds raised will go directly to the Dorchester/ Mattapan project with no overhead cost.

In the nine months since its organization, more than $47 million has been raised for Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy and the Teen Center at St Peters, including this largest award from the Yawkey Foundation. This represents 66 % of our fundraising goal for this initiative. While much works remains, the Campaign for Catholic Schools is well on its way to achieving its goal. More information on the campaign can be found at www.campaignforcatholicschools.org.

About The Yawkey Foundation
The Yawkey Foundation was established more than twenty years ago to further serve the family's many charitable goals. The mission of the Yawkey Foundation is to continue the charitable legacy of Tom and Jean Yawkey by making grants that provide immediate ,significant and positive impact on the quality of life of youth, families and the underserved, primarily in the areas, which the Yawkeys called home, New England and Georgetown County, South Carolina. For additional information about the Foundations, visit their website at www.yawkeyfoundations.org.

About the 2010 Initiative for Catholic Education
When the 2010 Initiative was announced in August 2005 the Archdiocese stated that it believed that the most effective plan will be one developed by drawing upon the collective experience of principals, pastors and local stakeholders working with professional education experts, consultants and practitioners in the community. The Archdiocese is committed to developing a sustainable plan that will meet the needs of students and local communities now and in the future.

About the Campaign for Catholic Schools
The Campaign for Catholic Schools is a new nonprofit organization established in December 2007 by Jack Connors, Jr., Chairman Emeritus and a founding partner of Boston advertising agency Hill, Holliday, Connors Cosmopulos, Inc., and John F. Fish,Chief Executive Officer, Suffolk Construction, Boston.
The Campaign was established as an outgrowth of the 2010 Initiative, a major strategic planning effort aimed at rebuilding and revitalizing the Catholic Schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston (RCAB). The CCS operational budget is funded by private philanthropy and is a donor-advised fund of the RCAB under the direction of a board of trustees. CCS welcomes gifts of all sizes, which may be designated to particular school projects.

The fundraising campaign of CCS has been highly successful to date. CCS has raised millions for two major school initiatives with another one on the horizon. In Brockton, $9 million has been raised for the new school, Trinity Catholic Academy with $3.5 million more to raise. For the Dorchester/Mattapan project, $47 million has been raised with $24 million remaining and the newest initiative, the renovation at St Ann's in Gloucester is going to require funding of $4.5milion. The efforts of many are responsible for this successful initiative.

About the Inner City Scholarship Fund
Since its inception in 1991, the Inner City Scholarship Fund, the signature program of the Catholic Schools Foundation, has provided over $65,000,000 in scholarship support for students to attend Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, as well as providing technology, counseling and marketing support for the schools. As this transformative project is underway, the Inner City Scholarship Fund is working in collaboration with the Campaign for Catholic Schools and the 2010 Dorchester/Mattapan Implementation team to ensure that no student is denied admission because of an inability to pay tuition.

About The Archdiocese of Boston
The Diocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of approximately 2 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 292 parishes, across 144 communities, educating approximately 46,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156, 000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of more than one million patients annually in Catholic hospitals and 200,000 individuals through its social service outreach. Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week. For more information, please visit www.rcab.org.