The (Non-Catholic) Patron Saints of Catholic Education

At Philanthropy Roundtable , Christopher Levenick profiles non-Catholic benefactors of inner-city Catholic schools. The schools’ long record of success among low-income and minority populations has not gone unnoticed by such non-Catholic philanthropists as Peter T. Grauer:

“I’m not Catholic,” says Grauer. “I grew up in a household that was Presbyterian and Episcopalian. My mother was one and my father was the other. I don’t really remember who was which. I went to Sunday school at both places, but these days I don’t spend a lot of time in church, I’m ashamed to say.”

“But,” Grauer quickly adds, “what I care about is the kids. I want to make sure they have an opportunity to get a good education. I believe that the delivery mechanism in Catholic schools is really good. It equips these kids to ultimately go on to higher education and become productive citizens—maybe even work for Bloomberg. I don’t think too much about whether a school or a donor or a student is Catholic or non-Catholic. I just think about rallying the troops to raise as much money as we can to make sure these kids have a decent opportunity.”

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