Healey to Begin Work with Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Schools
Through a new partnership with the Diocese of Wilmington, the Healey Education Foundation will begin work next month with a pilot cohort of Catholic schools in Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The schools will be selected from a subset of parish and diocesan schools invited to a kick-off meeting and then visited by members of the Healey team. Collectively the Diocese of Wilmington schools offer a wide diversity of programs and services at the preschool, elementary, middle school and secondary levels.
Louis P. De Angelo, Ed.D., Secretary for Catholic Education, Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Wilmington. PHOTO BY LUIGI CIUFFETELLI.
A Bigger Investment, New Storytelling
According to Louis P. De Angelo, Ed.D., Secretary for Catholic Education, Superintendent of Schools, Diocese of Wilmington, the schools are eager to involve a broader population in investing in their schools. “This investment will be not only through additional financial support but also through sharing our stories and helping the average person know more about our wonderful schools,” he said. “We envision multiple layers of benefit for us.”
The Rollout
The Healey partner schools, to be announced later this month, will implement the Advancement Methodology starting in the 2017-18 academic year. This May, Healey will advise the schools in conducting parent focus groups. Over the summer, schools will complete readiness assessments and hire advancement staff.
“Through the readiness assessments, we will recommend the scope of the Foundation’s consulting services and will set enrollment and development goals for the schools,” said Megan Famular, Director of Schools, Healey Education Foundation.
De Angelo mentioned that bringing in a new Advancement Director to each school will add a fresh perspective. “This new voice, in particular, will change the conversations at our schools and also among our principals,” he said.
Engaged Leadership
The Most Reverend W. Francis Malooly, Bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, has participated in orientation meetings regarding the partnership. In leading a diocese that views Catholic education as a primary mission of the Church, the Bishop visits each of 36 Catholic schools — parish, regional, diocesan and private — in the course of the year.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Healey Education Foundation, an organization that has a tremendous commitment to Catholic education,” he said. “Bringing best practices and new ideas to the participating schools will impact those schools making them more sustainable to serve our children and their families. It is our hope that by working with the dedicated professionals at the Foundation, we may come to fully maximize the potential of all our schools.”
About the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington
The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington comprises 56 parishes, 18 missions and 36 schools serving the State of Delaware and the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. There are over 244,000 Catholics in the Diocese.
The Diocese will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding with a year-long sesquicentennial celebration to run from March 3, 2018 to March 3, 2019.
Christine L. Healey, President, Healey Education Foundation
About Healey
The Healey Education Foundation invests in PK-12 Catholic schools. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Foundation provides a high-impact program delivered through a coaching relationship with dioceses and schools that are ready to embrace change. Healey’s work For the Future of Catholic Schools empowers grant recipients to deliver sustainable results through effective governance, enrollment management and fundraising.
“As philanthropists, we walk with the schools we serve,” said Christine Healey, President, Healey Education Foundation. “We experience the issues and problems that Catholic schools are facing on the ground. We are constantly challenging our own assumptions to build the best process possible to achieve Catholic school sustainability.”
Since its establishment in 2004, the Foundation has grown to serve nearly 70 elementary and high schools across six dioceses in Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.