Rich G.

We have three girls and providing them with a quality, Catholic education is very important to us. My wife and sister-in-law both attended Blessed Sacrament in Belleville, so we knew it was a great school. Our oldest started in Pre-Kindergarten, so we’ve been there over a decade, and affording the tuition has been a struggle.

Our youngest daughter was born with a health condition, so one of us needed to be her full-time caretaker. My job offered more flexibility, so I stepped into that role. With mounting medical bills and limited income, we really had to hustle to afford the tuition at Blessed Sacrament, but it was a priority for us, and the school has been very gracious with our payment plan. My wife did a lot of research looking for any source of financial aid, and thankfully we found the Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

We did not receive scholarships the first two years we applied, but we kept trying, and this past school year received awards for our two older girls. It was such a blessing. It gave us the breathing room to focus on our youngest daughter, who is also at Blessed Sacrament and attending Kindergarten this year on a tax credit scholarship. When she started there in Pre-K, she was crying every day when we dropped her off. But after the first semester, there was no more crying. The teachers gave her the confidence to feel comfortable there and have done so much to accommodate her. It’s been amazing.

Our oldest daughter just started high school at Althoff and is doing great. She was worried at first and thought it would be difficult, but so far she loves it and has straight A’s. I knew Blessed Sacrament did an amazing job preparing her. At Blessed Sacrament she won the Pie Day competition five years in a row, played several sports, and graduated with a variety of awards and accolades. I believe the school really set her up to succeed and nurtured her academic and professional aspirations. I can’t say enough about Ms. Hatch and the teachers; I don’t think she would have received a better education anywhere else.

I would tell anyone considering donating to this program that it’s such a godsend. You are really helping a family in need, like ours, whose lives have really improved thanks to these scholarships. We are determined to give our daughters the best education possible, and we are so grateful that the Tax Credit Scholarship Program has allowed us to do that.