Saturday, November 06, 1999
Ky. Catholic schools get $25,000 donation
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT — Members of the Alliance for Catholic Urban Education and officials of the Covington Diocese Board of Education knew they were accepting a $25,000 donation from Corporex Cos. Chairman Bill Butler on Friday.
They had not, however, anticipated Mr. Butler's offer to continue to help the alliance and his call for a challenge grant to encourage other Northern Kentucky businessmen and entrepreneurs to step up.
“We had no idea he was going to offer that kind of help,” said Bellevue Mayor Tom Wiethorn, chairman of the alliance's advisory board. “This is a wonderful opportunity, and we will certainly take advantage of it.”
The alliance was formed by the principals of three high schools and seven elementary schools in Newport and Covington to pool resources and seek more money. The advisory board is a group of community, business and political leaders working with the Diocese of Covington to improve urban Catholic schools.
Mr. Butler, who grew up in Covington and attended Catholic schools, presented the $25,000 check from the Robert M. Butler Foundation, named for his father.
“I would like to consider this an ongoing commitment, not just a one-time thing,” he said. “I think the diocese should consider a challenge grant to attract other businessmen. I think if you look around Northern Kentucky, you will see that a number of well-known entrepreneurs are products of urban Catholic education.”
Two such names mentioned by Mr. Wiethorn are Wayne Carlisle and Ralph Drees, two of Northern Kentucky's best-known business leaders.
In a challenge grant, Mr. Butler would match donations from other business leaders.
Mr. Wiethorn pointed out that the advisory board did not approach Mr. Butler with a donation request. “He stepped forward and asked what he could do to help, and offered this donation,” he said.
Lawrence Bowman, director of Catholic education for the diocese, said this was the first major corporate contribution to the alliance and would be used to hire a public relations firm.
“We'll be interviewing five public relations companies, and hope to have a contract with one by the first of the year to promote and market the schools,” Mr. Bowman said. “The idea is to increase awareness of what the urban Catholic schools offer. That in turn can raise enrollment and revenue.”
Mr. Wiethorn said enroll ment in the urban Catholic schools has been decreasing in recent years, and the alliance's advisory board is looking at ways to get the word out to more families about what board members see as the advantages of a private Catholic education.
“We aren't just aiming at low- to moderate-income Catholic families,” he said. “We want to get our information out to the hundreds of families living in the urban Northern Kentucky area.
“And we want to emphasize that we are not in competition with the public schools. This is another avenue of education for families to consider.”
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