Two local banks presented donations this month to the Diocese’s Neumann Scholarship Foundation, which offers scholarship assistance to families whose children are enrolled in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg.
The donations were made through the banks’ participation in Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship programs, which provide tax credits to businesses that contribute to scholarship organizations, like the Neumann Scholarship Foundation.
On Jan. 13, representatives with First National Bank presented a check for $200,000 through the Opportunity Scholarship Program. The funds are unrestricted, so that they may benefit students that need assistance the most. The law that established the Opportunity Scholarship Program requires the Neumann Scholarship Foundation to give preference to students whose family income is less than 185% of the federal poverty level and who reside in a failing school district.
On Jan. 20, Mid Penn Bank presented a check for $65,000. The restricted scholarship funds will be distributed to benefit students at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg ($20,000); Trinity High School in Camp Hill ($15,000), and $5,000 each to St. Theresa School in New Cumberland, St. Joseph School in Mechanicsburg, and St. Catherine Labouré, Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg Catholic Elementary and St. Margaret Mary schools in Harrisburg.
For more information about the Neumann Scholarship Foundation and how your business can participate, contact Kim Roche, Director of the Diocesan Office of Stewardship and Development, at kroche@hbgdiocese.org or 717-657-4804, ext. 245.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
