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CHANCE luncheon raises $310,000 for scholarships

School choice benefits include battling poverty – because it empowers low-income parents and their children, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago told about 700 people at the Children’s Scholarship Fund’s (CSF) annual CHANCE Luncheon June 7 in Omaha. Empowering parents to choose the best school for their children heightens a sense of responsibility in all aspects of child-rearing, and it helps children feel they have worth, Cardinal Cupich said at the CenturyLink Center event, which raised $310,000 for scholarships to parochial and other private elementary schools for low-income families. Cardinal Cupich, who grew up in Ss. Peter and Paul Parish and School in Omaha and served as a priest in the archdiocese, noted the important role that CSF fills in helping low-income parents select the best educational setting for their children. “By providing families with K-8 scholarships, you are not only helping parents grow in self-awareness and self-esteem, you are preparing an entire generation to do the same,” Cardinal Cupich said. During the luncheon, five students from Catholic schools were recognized, including four with Rising Star awards for leadership, character and overcoming personal and academic obstacles: sixth-grader Patricia Boules of All Saints Catholic School and second-grader K’Yani Jones-Brown of Sacred Heart School, both in Omaha, and eighth-graders Hector Gonzalez of St. Michael School in South Sioux City and Alexandra Hezel of St. Columbkille School in Papillion. The Inspiring Alumni Award went to Samantha Contreras, a former CSF scholarship recipient and graduate of Ss. Peter and Paul who now is a sophomore at Omaha South High School. Since 1999, CSF has provided more than 31,000 partial-tuition scholarships worth more than $31 million to kindergarten through eighth-grade students. During the past school year, nearly 1,800 students received $2.7 million in scholarships. CSF scholarships are renewable through eighth-grade, as long as the student maintains a 90 percent attendance rate. Younger siblings also may qualify for scholarships, as long as families continue to meet eligibility requirements.

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