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Diocese of Sacramento |
The
SCORE Program
Sacramento Childrens Opportunities for a Rural Education
THE NEED
To provide a quality, values-based education for children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, especially those in depressed, rural areas.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento covers a geographic area equal to the size of Tennessee. The Pastoral Center itself is located at the southern-most end of the Diocese. The Catholic School Department serves 17,000 students in 54 schools throughout the region. One-fourth of these schools are in small, rural areas that are located several hours from the Pastoral Center. These small and rural communities are often economically challenged due to a lack of major industry. They also tend to have older populations, and fewer children available to attend Catholic schools. Families will often transport their children 25-50 miles in order to provide them with a Catholic, values-based education.
As a result of these conditions, schools struggle to maintain adequate educational resources and technology. While the parishes and the Diocese do help support the schools, the funding is limited and offers no consistent means for rural schools to routinely update and replenish materials and technology resources. Furthermore, due to inconsistant enrollment, even standard operational expenses can be challenging.
The Diocese has developed a special fund to help support these small, rural Catholic schools called SCORE.
THE MISSION
The Mission of SCORE is to build and maintain a secure financial base that assures the viability of Sacramento rural Catholic schools.
The SCORE program was founded in 2000 with a generous grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. Earmarked as an endowed fund, earnings are used to provide scholarships for students who would otherwise be unable to benefit from a Catholic school education. Another generous gift from Jerry and Dianne Larson allowed for the creation of the Philip Henry Desroches Endowment for Rural Schools, named in honor of Diane's father. The earnings may be used to provide grants for rural schools to improve their curriculum, increase access to modern technology for students, and to assist with student scholarships.
In addition to the endowed funds, SCORE provides donors with these opportunities:
- directly fund a student's tuition
- assist with purchasing computers, textbooks and library books
- help with other necessary school expenses
THE GOAL
The goal of SCORE is to have endowed funds available for students at each of the thirteen rural schools. The earnings from an endowment of this size will help assure the viability of the rural schools and will assist in providing scholarships to students without the financial means to otherwise attend Catholic school.
THE PROGRESS REPORT
To date we have about $150,000 in endowment resources. Due to market conditions in recent years with little or no interest earnings, the fund has been stagnant precluding the award of grants. However, we hope to begin funding scholarships and grants during the coming school year, or sooner if donors wish to provide SCORE with non-endowed funds for scholarships and grants.
DONATIONS
If you would like to know more about this fund, or are interested in donating to this fund or even supporting a disabled student attending a Catholic school, please contact:
2110 Broadway
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 733-0110
"Of
the educational programs available to the Catholic
community, Catholic schools afford the fullest and best
opportunity to realize the (fourfold) purpose of Christian
education among children and young people." "To Teach as
Jesus Did" #101, NCCB, 1972
"...we
recall the duty of Catholic parents 'to entrust their
children to Catholic schools, when and where this is
possible, to support such schools to the extent of their
ability, and to work along with them for the welfare of
their children.'" "To Teach as Jesus Did" #101, NCCB,
1972; Christian Education, #8