From the President: A moment that changes the lives of thousands of children

In the days following March 22, 2023, the Aim Higher Foundation offices were inundated with phone calls, emails, and even some text messages. Parents, grandparents, and guardians seemingly lined up to express their gratitude to our team. “This is such AMAZING news!” said one mother. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Catholic education for our four boys means the world to us and them! Thank you!!!!”

Around noon on the 22nd, our team hit send on the automated notification system that triggered the scholarship award email being sent to families of more than 2,100 K-8 students. Their names were selected from the results of an advanced, need-based algorithm that helps the Aim Higher team sort through 5,000 applications received in the first awarding period (and 6,600 through both application cycles). Every single application was from a family seeking financial help to send their children to a Catholic school for the 2023-24 school year.

That noon email was special. It shared the good news that their children would be recipients of the Aim Higher Foundation’s $1,000 tuition-assistance scholarship.

Ricky Austin, President of the Aim Higher Foundation

“Hello, I am just wanting to thank someone for the scholarships our family received for the upcoming year,” said another mom. “We are very grateful to have John Paul II as a school option for our kids, and I know these scholarships are a big part of the puzzle for making the school a viable option for us.”

The process our team uses for awarding hasn’t changed much since we optimized our scholarship administration back in 2018. And what follows in the days after notifications has been fairly consistent each year as well.

But every year, the experience is remarkable.

In an instant, lives are changed. Children are given opportunity. Parents are given hope. Schools learn new support is on its way. The generosity of our donors and friends blossoms as each dollar donated brings to life new possibilities for a child.

For most, the receipt of an Aim Higher Scholarship means access to a school they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford on their own. For many, it’s a hand up out of poverty, or a lifeline out of financial uncertainty. For all, it’s an opportunity to experience a caring, academically excellent, faith-filled environment that puts children on a path to a better future.

In his 2008 address to U.S. Catholic educators, Pope Benedict XVI implored his audience: “[Catholic schools’] long-term sustainability must be assured. Indeed, everything possible must be done, in cooperation with the wider community, to ensure that they are accessible to people of all social and economic strata. No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.”

On March 22, the Aim Higher Foundation, our friends, and our supporters helped bring us one step closer to this vision.

Ricky Austin is the President of the Aim Higher Foundation. He has served the Foundation in a variety of roles since 2017.