A Catholic school in the Western suburbs is celebrating a big win, as Cicero's St. Frances of Rome will remain open thanks to the generosity of anonymous donors.
In January, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that the school would close after the state’s tax credit scholarship program expired.
Parents immediately took action to try and keep the school open.
“We started calling parents, we started gathering for protests- making posters and making sure this school did not close,” said Jennifer Garcia.
Wednesday morning, the announcement many had been praying and hoping for, with school officials creding the generosity of many donors to Big Shoulders Fund have offered enough funding to help keep the school open.
Phil Jackson is the principal of St. Frances, and was floored by the generosity shown.
“It is like one of those sublime moments where like you don’t have words cause it is too profound,” said Jackson. “We are staying open and we are so excited.”
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Big Shoulders Fund was founded by a group of business and civic leaders in 1986 to provide support to Catholic schools in need. The Archdiocese says it grateful for the partnership.
“A group of anonymous donors came to us and said we want to help,” said Josh Hale, president and chief executive officer of Big Shoulders Fund. “We still have a lot of work to do to ensure the long term stability of the school. We are committed to that and we have great partners.”
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On Saturday, St. Frances of Rome will celebrate its 100th anniversary, with the incredible gift of a new lease on life.
