Saint Clement Parishioners Participate in  

Big Shoulders Fund's "Give Back Day" 

On Saturday, July 28, a group of Saint Clement parishioners traveled to Hyde Park to take part in a Give Back Day, sponsored by the Big Shoulders Fund and its Auxiliary Board. The team of eight was made up of different demographics of the parish, and joined a larger group of 150 volunteers from other parishes, schools, and organizations. The group spent the hot summer morning working at St. Thomas the Apostle School near 55^th and South Woodlawn, a 120+ year old elementary school housed in a beautiful, historic building. While in a more well-to-do neighborhood, the school serves children from several low-income neighborhoods around the city, and has struggled with enrollment over the years. The team spent three hours doing various tasks around the school--cleaning walls, organizing, and getting classrooms ready for the coming school year.

What was special about this event was that volunteers were able to work alongside those from St. Thomas the Apostle who were very devoted to the parish. Their parishioners were committed to doing their part to improve the school, working side by side with all the groups from Big Shoulders. The principal and a whole team of teachers cleaned and organized with us, and were a visible presence the entire morning. Words of encouragement and thanks were plentiful. While not always glamorous, the tasks completed were necessary and gave the teachers and principal the ability to put their focus elsewhere. A family of three--mother, father, and 8^th grade daughter--worked next to some of our volunteers, scrubbing down walls. The family had been parishioners for many, many years; their oldest children, two sons, were currently in college but had attended elementary school at St. Thomas the Apostle. Their dedication, care and pride for the school was incredibly apparent. Furthermore, throughout the morning we met countless St. Thomas parishioners whose love for the parish was evident and deeply rooted in their lives. What a wonderful example of stewardship they shared with us. Thanks to all from Saint Clement who assisted with the Give Back Day! We appreciate your outreach in Christ's name.

The mission of the Big Shoulders Fund is to provide support to Catholic schools in the neediest areas of inner-city Chicago. Currently, they serve nearly 24,000 students in 93 inner-city schools. Eighty percent of students are ethnic minorities, 32 percent are not Catholic, and 62 percent live in poverty. Since 1986, Big Shoulders has raised over $210 million to fund scholarships, operating grants, facility improvements, instructional equipment and special education programs. The impact of these investments is remarkable; 97 percent of students attending Big Shoulders schools graduate from high school and 87 percent matriculate to college. Big Shoulders Fund is unique in that administrative expenses are supported by an endowment and other income which ensures all funds currently raised go toward programs that benefit the Big Shoulders Fund schools and the students they serve. For more information, visit the Big Shoulders Fund website.   

Stories of Stewards