Archbishop Cupich Meets Chicago

Monday night football wasn’t on the minds of over two hundred Chicago area Catholics who filled Capital Grille.

The annual Capital For Kids fundraising event brought out support, to benefit the emergency tuition assistance fund for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

As raffles for Chicago sports teams were being raffled, new Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich was getting big Midwestern welcomes from guests excited to meet him.

“ I feel honored to be one of the first to welcome Archbishop Cupich to Chicago, “ said Jason Baumann from Chicago. “ I think the church needs to open its doors to Chicago’s diverse communities. I believe Archbishop Cupich will do that,” he added.

While Archbishop Cupich stood graciously meeting supporters of Capital For Kids, a surprise guest came to meet the new Archbishop, Governor elect Bruce Rauner. As the two met and posed for pictures, congratulations for both men were flowing through the room.

Superintendent, Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey was thrilled to see the support and excitement of not only the special guests but the dedicated parishoners.

“ Many wonderful people, stakeholders who share a passion for Catholic education invest so much of themselves in the continued success of our Catholic schools,” said Sister McCaughey.

“Love and academic acumen meet in our teachers and administrators; our school communities are dedicated to making sure our students are getting the best education possible,” she added.

Cardinal’s Capital for Kids is one of the two major fundraisers, the other one being the annual Golf Outing. All the funds raised at Capital for Kids provide emergency tuition assistance to families experiencing an unexpected job loss, death of a parent, unexpected medical expenses or other personal crisis.

It is an event that means so much to so many people. Without the help of generous donors and supporters, some families would have no other choice than to transfer their children elsewhere. Funds are raised for emergency tuition and also under the “Sponsor the Student” category. A few students with most urgent need are awarded tuition assistance. Usually a couple of students make a presentation at the Capital for Kids event highlighting their circumstances and saying why they feel it is important for them to obtain Catholic education.

Three students received the award this year: a second grader at St. Jerome elementary, a 9th grader attending Marist High School and a 12th grader attending Mother McAuley High School.

“We are so pleased that Archbishop Cupich is embracing this program, “ said Miriam Shabo, Director of Resource Development for the Archdiocese of Chicago. “ We hope that the fund will continue to grow and more students can benefit from it.”

If you would like to make a donation to Capital For Kids, you may contact Miriam Shabo at 312-534-5211 or visit them online at WWW.givecentral.org