Jaime and Claudia Alvarez always dreamed of sending their children to Catholic school.
With a little help from the Fulcrum Foundation’s Tuition Assistance Grant Program, those dreams became a reality. Two of their four children have attended St. Rose Catholic School. First to attend was their son, Jaime, who is now in high school. Their daughter, Amber, is a current fifth-grader.
“Our son started as a third-grader at St. Rose,” Jaime explained. “There was a great difference changing from public school to Catholic school. The first year was a challenge just because of how much more advanced the school was compared to where he’d been going, but we were so pleased with his progress during that time. Being at a Catholic school gives a better jump-start to life.”
“Our kids are not just another student there,” Claudia added. “They are honestly family.”
There was a time when the Alvarez family thought Catholic school wouldn’t be a possibility, Claudia said. But a conversation with their pastor pointed them in the direction of Mica Zdunich, St. Rose’s office manager and TAP coordinator. Together, the school, Fulcrum, and the Alvarezes found a way to make it work.
“Mica made it very easy. She was always there to help out,” Jaime said. “That’s another reason why we feel like we have a family at St. Rose. Family looks after each other.”
Both Alvarez children who attended St. Rose received funds from Fulcrum. “They are wonderful,” Claudia said of the foundation. “They help families who are in need.”
“Any time we’ve had issues, I’ve always been able to call and talk to someone at Fulcrum and they’ve been able to help,” Jaime added. “It’s nice not to get an automated response. You always talk to a person and they always give you the help you need.”
Learning from their own journey to Catholic education, Jaime and Claudia said they’ve helped several other families get started at St. Rose. “There’s help out there,” Jaime said. “You just have to ask.”
“It’s a blessing to help families who want their kids to have a better education,” Claudia said. “Fulcrum makes that dream come true.”
For more information about Fulcrum tuition assistance and how you can support our programs, please contact us at info@fulcrumfoundation.org