Dear Parish Family,

I am eager to speak this weekend about the Angel Scholarship Fund (ASF) and the opportunity to turn tax dollars into tuition assistance. Simply put, ASF turns tax dollars into tuition assistance by taking advantage of a tax credit scholarship program established by the State of Ohio. Wouldn't it be wonderful to direct the taxes we already owe towards tuition assistance, all at no net cost to you as a donor? This is a win-win opportunity for taxpayers, students, families, Catholic schools, and Catholic parishes. 

By making an investment in ASF, all Ohio taxpayers will have the opportunity for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $750 for individual filers and $1,500 for joint filers. No investment is too small to make a big impact! We are blessed to share that two hundred of our ASF investors provided more than $137,000 in 2022 that we are using for student tuition scholarships this school year at St. Mary School in Chardon! With your "YES" to supporting ASF this year, you will help us smash our goal of raising $300,000 in tuition scholarships. 

Along with the greatly expanded EdChoice scholarships available this year, ASF investments will complement and amplify the tuition assistance we are able to provide to our families. With EdChoice, every K-12 student can receive a state-funded scholarship so families can send their children to the school of their choice. The funding formula of our state is simple: the scholarship money follows the child to help fund the cost to educate. With EdChoice and ASF working in tandem alongside our Adopt-a-Student funds, we will be able to lower, and in some cases eliminate, family tuition obligations! With these new state scholarships, we are in a position at St. Mary School to lower family tuition obligations this year up to 85% (from $687,500 to $103,000)! 

In addition, the increased funding will also enhance academic and faith formation opportunities for students, increase teacher compensation, communicate the affordability of Catholic education, and reduce the St. Mary parish subsidy to put both the parish and school on solid financial footing for our future. For instance, we are offering our teachers bonuses this year to help bridge the salary gap between a Catholic school teacher and a public school teacher. We also purchased beautiful hardcover bibles for each of our students at the beginning of this school year, and are integrating Theology of the Body lessons for our students to help them know and discover their God-given identity in Christ as beloved sons and daughters. How beautiful a gift God has given us!

Since every Catholic parish and family has a role in supporting Catholic education, I'm asking all St. Patrick Parish families to please invest in ASF and designate St. Mary School Chardon (or another school of your choice in the Diocese of Cleveland) to receive this tax credit scholarship. Not only will your own tax liability be reduced, but you will make it easy and affordable for more families to choose a Catholic education for their children.

All parish households should have received a mailing this week with all the contribution and tax information needed to make an investment in ASF. There's even a flyer you can give to your tax preparer that outlines precisely how to note your tax credit contribution on your tax forms. I understand this tax credit is new for many of you. Please know that my leadership team and I are here to assist you through this process. Please feel free to reach out to me or our St. Mary School Development Director, Frank Rihtar (frihtar@stmaryschoolchardon.org), for assistance if you have any questions as you make your contribution this year. In today’s bulletin, we’ve also published a list of our 2022 ASF investors from both St. Patrick and St. Mary Parish who designated their contributions to St. Mary School. Talk to these people who can attest to how easy it was to support ASF and benefit from the tax credit!

Please encourage your family and friends to make a contribution as well. The more investors we have, the greater the benefit for our students, families, and teachers. More than anything, we are building a wonderful community of faith-filled disciples at St. Mary School, and we are excited to bring you into the fold as a supporter to provide an affordable Christ-centered Catholic education for all who desire it! Visit www.stmarychardon.org/asf for more information and to donate.

I am yours in Christ,

Fr. Scott Goodfellow