Donors gather in the National Constitution Center for BLOCS’ (Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools) scholarship dinner. (Credit: Tim Jimenez)
Reporting Tim Jimenez
By Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A local non-profit that gives Catholic school scholarships to disadvantaged children in the region, held its largest fundraiser of the year last night.
The focus wasn’t on the negative news surrounding the Catholic Church, but on scholarships towards a Catholic education.
The organization is called BLOCS, Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools, and on this night they were holding their 16th annual scholarship dinner at the National Constitution Center.
“We give thousands of scholarships to kids, Catholic, non-Catholic, in fact in the poorer areas many of our kids are not Catholic, that otherwise they couldn’t afford to go to these schools,” says Chairman Michael O’Neill.
Kennedy Wright, an 8th grader at DePaul Catholic School in Germantown, had a speech to give, telling her personal story: her father in prison and brother dropping out in 10th grade.
“When my brother started making all of his mistakes I said I would never let those negative behaviors come into my life.”
The past year, BLOCS raised more than $8-million for scholarships and money going towards schools in poor neighborhoods.
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