The Bishop Pates endowment was established in 2001 with the sole purpose of providing tuition assistance to qualified students at our school.  It was established as a commitment to Saint Ambrose families: a Catholic education should not be out of reach for a child simply because of a family’s financial resources.  In 2006, we held our first “Bishop Pates Endowment Benefit”:  a night of fun and fundraising to raise money for the endowment and tuition assistance.

Our founding pastor, Bishop Richard Pates, was committed to “All Are Welcome” at Saint Ambrose, and as a community we wanted to demonstrate that commitment by establishing an event that would grow this fund that supported families who would not otherwise be able to afford to send their children to Saint Ambrose.  I am grateful to the many volunteers who worked so hard to make this event successful each year.  It required leadership, organization and hours of energy.  Not only did we raise funds to establish an endowment that is at $754,058, but we also had a great time! While the endowment funds are secure and restricted, they raised enough income that we received a grant of over $17,012 to be used for scholarships.

This year's Gala donations will go to help our school meet our current technology needs as well as contribute to the Endowment. Thank you for considering a donation that will impact our current students as well as those in the future.