$5 Million Donation to Fund Scholarships, Construction at De La Salle

A $5 million donation from automotive dealership owner Bill Fox to De La Salle Collegiate High School will mean a great deal of aid to the school's 800 students with the creation of the William M. Fox Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Fox, a 1950 graduate of De La Salle in Warren, is the owner of Chevrolet, Volkswagen and Toyota dealerships in Rochester, and a Ford dealership in Battle Creek.

“I hope this gift from the Fox Family will keep De La Salle going strong in its mission as ‘Builders of Boys, Makers of Men,’" Fox said, in a release.

His gift, the largest in the school's history, will not only fund scholarships, but improvements to the school’s gymnasium and parking facilities as well.

“Bill Fox’s gift is a testament to the fact that De La Salle makes a difference for young men and their families, and that the experience of a Lasallian education is worth preserving," said Brother Robert Carnaghi, FSC, De La Salle’s outgoing president, in a release.

The $5 million donation will complete the school's capital campaign, "Preserving the Legacy," which started in 2004 and funded a new chapel, academic wing, science labs, music room and extensive technological upgrades.

“This tremendous gift guarantees De La Salle’s ability to close the capital campaign in short order,” said Ben Aloia, chairman of the Board of Trustees, in a release. “It also solidifies our ability to serve the Lasallian mission by providing much needed financial assistance to our students from low-income families.”

Fox added his support of the "Lasallian mission" with reflections on his time at De La Salle.

“It seems just yesterday I was a student here, getting an education that was priceless," Fox said, in a release. "One of our teachers, Br. Brendan Patrick, used to say at least once a day: ‘Be a tree. And if you can’t be a tree, be a bush. And if you can’t be a bush, be a blade of grass. But be the best at whatever you do.’ The dynamic educators at De La Salle were able to take this poor kid from the East Side and make him a man.”