From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we are highlighting each of the organizations featured in the Jersey Give-Back Guide, an online giving gadget that takes the guesswork out of year-end giving.
Saint Vincent Academy
Connect:
Website: http://www.svanj.org/en-us/home.aspx
Facebook: Saint Vincent Academy
What they do:
Saint Vincent Academy is Newark’s only Catholic college preparatory high school open to all young women regardless of their family’s financial struggles. Founded in 1869 and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, the Academy is dedicated to preparing its 300 students to be creative participants in society with a desire to transform the world into a more just and peaceful place by empowering them with rigorous academic learning and life-enhancing Gospel teachings. The Academy instills in students a love of learning, confidence in themselves as women, and an understanding of the power of community. Impressively, virtually every recent graduate has continued on to college.
What makes them great:
Saint Vincent Academy has been witness to and participant in the evolution of the city of Newark as it welcomed successive waves of immigrants, moved from a manufacturing base to a corporate center, struggled to address issues of racism and civil rights, and embraced the early years of the 21st century with renewed optimism. Today, we play a singular role as Newark’s only Catholic, college preparatory school for young women, making a unique contribution through the commitment to service and community leadership that marks our graduates.
One of SVA’s greatest strengths is the diversity of our student body and the enrichment of our learning environment through that diversity.
Our 300+ young women represent a variety of faith traditions and ethnic backgrounds that reflect the vitality of our urban communities. In the 2014-2015 academic year, our students are:
- -68 percent black or African-American
- 28 percent Hispanicor white
- 4 percent Asian or multi-ethnic
- 40 percent Roman Catholic
- 43 percent from single-parent homes
Amidst this diversity, the most striking traits are the ones our students share: a passion for learning, a dedication to family, a respect for community and a desire to excel.
How your donation will help:
Because we want to keep SVA’s annual tuition ($5,200 in 2015-2016) within reach of families in Newark and surrounding neighborhoods, tuition income represents only about half of the real cost of an SVA education. Generous alumnae and other friends, foundations and corporations help us to make up the difference through their gifts to our annual and scholarship funds and their support of our special events and other fundraising efforts. The families of our current students also must meet an annual fundraising goal.
How you can get even more involved:
There are many opportunities for alumnae and other friends to serve as mentors to students or to volunteer in other capacities on one-time or ongoing basis.
>>>Get Generous for Saint Vincent Academy