Dear Supporters and Sponsors,

It is with our deepest regret to inform you that after a 28-year run, the St.Joseph’s Education Foundation will not be hosting the annual “Chip for Education” Golf Tournament this upcoming year. Our Foundation has always worked closely with the St.Joseph’s Parish to honor Monsignor Caulfield’s true legacy of promoting Caatholic Education. Unfortunately, this past year we have lost the support of our Parish and School, forcing the Foundation to cancel this event.

The St.joseph’s Education Foundation is aware of various rumors circulating throughout our community regarding our status and charitable activities. Please be advised that, although our relationship with the Parish has been strained this past year, we are still very much involved and stronger than ever.

In 2018, due to the changing needs of our Parish and its families, the Foundation expanded its purpose.  The Foundation remains true to its original mission to provide Catholic education to our parishioners and maintaining our status as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization. The Foundation provides direct scholarship opportunities to any active parish family who wishes to have their children attend any of our four Catholic schools within Lakeland, Florida. The St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation currently funds up to 40% of the tuition for each student attending St. Joseph Academy in Lakeland, and Santa Fe Catholic High school. The Foundation also offers a 20% tuition scholarship for St. Joseph parish families who send their children to Resurrection Catholic school or St.Anthony’s Catholic School.  The difference in scholarship funding is due to restrictions placed upon those schools by the Diocese of Orlando. This approach has allowed the Foundation to assist a much larger number of the parish’s families wishing to seek a quality Catholic Education for their children while catering to their school preference and geographical location within our community.

It is because of your support, and through Charitable events such as our beloved “Chip for Education” Golf Tournament, that we have been able to provide financial assistance to over one hundread students since February 2018. The foundation has granted a total of over $580,000.00 in tuition scholarships for Catholic Education in the same time period. It is important to mention that without the St. Joseph's Educational Foundation’s tuition assistance scholarship program, many of these students would not have been able to receive a Catholic Education or continue their education in years to come.

It is only with your generous contribution that the Foundation can achieve our goals of helping students receive a Catholic Education. We ask for your donation and support to keep our students scholarship program active this year. You can donate by visiting our website https://www.sjedfoundation.com/ and clicking on the Donation page, or contact our Marketing in Director Maittee Grana at (863) 535-5225 or [email protected].

Thank you so much for your support, we hope to bring our Golf Tournament back in the near future.

ST. JOSEPH’S EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
COMMITTED TO CONTINUING CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another. –Romans 14:19

(Lakeland, FL) St. Joseph Catholic Church and the St. Joseph Educational Foundation, Inc. are mutually committed to accompany, guide, and support Catholic school students and their families both now and in the years to come so they are financially able to continue to receive a Catholic education through the foundation’s scholarship program. From its inception, members of the board of the St. Joseph Education Foundation, leaders of the Diocese of Orlando, and the Pastors of St. Joseph Catholic Church, dating back to 1979, under the leadership of Reverend Patrick Sheedy and followed by the significant fundraising efforts of Reverend Monsignor John Caulfield, have worked together to provide continued assistance to students and families of St. Joseph in need of financial assistance.

The Very Reverend Tim LaBo, Pastor of St. Joseph and a member of the St. Joseph Education Foundation Board of Directors, said, “It is important to serve the students in Lakeland, so that Catholic Education is always an option. That is the broad intent of the St. Joseph Educational Foundation and we will move forward in this spirit of unity.”

Daniel F. Pilka, former President and current member of the St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation Board said, “I am glad that this dispute with the Diocese has now been resolved so that the Foundation can once again focus its efforts on not only providing scholarship support for St. Joseph’s parishioners, but also strive to expand the scope of the Foundation to provide even greater scholarship opportunities for all St. Joseph Parish students attending Lakeland Catholic schools”.

Despite the recent closure of St. Joseph’s Academy and its merger with nearby Lakeland Catholic schools, the Foundation remains committed to honoring the intent of its donors by ensuring that scholarships are provided for all children of St. Joseph Parish who attend any Lakeland Catholic school, including Santa Fe Catholic High School, Resurrection Catholic School and St. Anthony Catholic School. This academic year, 90% of St. Joseph Parish students are registered in one of these schools and have received over $288,000.00 in scholarships from the St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation.

The foundation’s newly constituted board of directors, which includes long-standing members of the foundation’s Board, held their first board meeting this week. A prior lawsuit involving the foundation and the Diocese of Orlando has been amicably resolved, and all parties involved in the lawsuit look forward to continuing the foundation’s good works.

St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation has initiated its most progressive and far reaching program to date.  Starting now, St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation will pay up to 20% of the tuition of any student who attends not only Resurrection Catholic School in Lakeland but also St. Anthony’s Catholic School.  That scholarship will be available to each and every child from St. Joseph Parish Lakeland so long as:
The children and their families are members of the St. Joseph’s Parish Lakeland. They attend Mass regularly (family must use envelops). They are active participants in the Parish or its ministries.
If the child and/or his family meet those requirements, then St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation will provide the scholarship regardless of the family financial needs. 
But this is just the start.  As a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, our goal is to generate and raise sufficient funds and revenue so that eventually the Foundation will be able to provide a scholarship that pays up to 100% of the tuition for all of our Parish children who seek a Catholic education and who want to attend not only Resurrection Catholic School in Lakeland but also St. Anthony’s Catholic School. 



St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation has initiated its most progressive and far reaching program to date.  Starting now, St. Joseph’s Educational Foundation will pay up to 40% of the tuition of any student who attends not only St. Joseph’s Academy Lakeland but also Santa Fe Catholic High School.  That scholarship will be available to each and every child from St. Joseph Parish Lakeland so long as:
The children and their families are members of the St. Joseph’s Parish Lakeland. They attend Mass regularly (family must use envelops). They are active participants in the Parish or its ministries.
If the child and/or his family meet those requirements, then St. Joseph’s Educational  Foundation will provide the scholarship regardless of the family financial needs. 
But this is just the start.  As a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, our goal is to generate and raise sufficient funds and revenue so that eventually the Foundation will be able to provide a scholarship that pays up to 100% of the tuition for all of our Parish children who seek a Catholic education and who want to attend St. Joseph’s Academy Lakeland or Santa Fe Catholic High School. 
So, if you want your children to have a Catholic education, come and see us.
- If you want to share our dream and want to make it a reality, come and join us.
Thank you;
SJE Foundation

SJE Students Nicolas Cardwell and Guillermo Casasnovas participated in Scout Sunday at Church today February 4th.

I will like to inform the Foundation of some awesome student news and accomplishments that occur today. We had two of our very own St Joseph Academy’s students and members of Cub Scouts Pack 713 compete at their Pinewood Derby Race today, Saturday February 3 at Resurrection.

Nicolas Cardwell - He is a Wolf at Pack 713. He is also a SJE 2nd Grade Student - He won First Place for Speed in his Division, First Place In Overall Design and Second Place Overall Speed for his Pack.

Guillermo Casasnovas - He is a Bear at Pack 713. He is a SJE 3rd Grade Student - He received Second Place In Overall Design.

They both qualified and are heading to The District Pinewood Derby competitions to represent their Pack 713 (and most importantly, St Joseph Academy) on Saturday March 3rd at hosted at the Shepherd Road Presbyterian Church.

I wanted to share this great news for you to share with the Foundation and to post on the Foundation’s website and Facebook Page.

We are so proud of these SJE Falcons!

Please see the Pictures attached :)

Thank you and God Bless,

- Marimee Grana Cardwell