Past Grants – Testimonials

Thank you for investing in our vibrant Catholic community!

The Foundation has made grant awards to our parishes and school since 2005 for many wonderful projects. Grant funds are typically available because of an annual distribution from the Foundation’s general fund. We are so grateful to our generous donors who make these grant awards possible!  Two testimonials from grant recipients are hi-lighted below.

Bibles and Multi-Cultural Books for Corpus Christi Students

Tracy Peterson is a teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic School.  She teaches middle school social studies, as well as 6th and 7th grade Theology.  She also has the pleasure of serving as the school’s librarian.  

When she began teaching at Corpus Christi 10 years ago, it was a full circle moment for her, as she attended St. Francis de Sales Parish and then Corpus Christi as a student from preschool-8th grade.  Her dream was always to end up teaching there, and she feels very blessed to be living her dream.

When she started teaching Theology, her 6th graders came to her very adept at using Bible Gateway for all of their Biblical needs.  While this is an excellent online source for the Bible, it was important to her that her students know how to use a physical Bible.  For this reason, Tracy’s students use their classroom Bibles regularly.  Last year, they noticed that their Bibles had been very well-loved over the years and were starting to show definite signs of that love.  Through the generosity of the Corpus Christi Foundation and its donors, she was able to purchase a brand new classroom set of Bibles to use in her Theology classes.  Tracy’s classes use these Bibles frequently, and they have already helped to enrich the lives of her students.  Tracy, along with her students, thank you for helping them to grow in their faith.

One of Tracy’s goals as a teacher has always been to share her love of reading with her students.  What a better way to do that than to be the school librarian!  When she was first given the role of librarian, Tracy knew she wanted to add some new books to the school’s library, and she knew that she wanted these books to represent the wide variety of cultures present in the school.  Corpus Christi is extremely blessed to have such a diverse student body.  Tracy feels it is important that her students find themselves represented in the books that are available in the library.  To help her accomplish this goal, our donors benevolently helped her purchase over twenty new Spanish books to add to the library’s Spanish collection.  She commented on how rewarding it is to see the look on her students’ faces when they open a book that is written in their home language.  The students of Corpus Christi thank you for helping to make them feel welcome in their school community.

Finally, Tracy thanks you on behalf of all of the staff at Corpus Christi Catholic School.  Without your generosity, they would not be able to support the students as they do.  The teachers and staff are eternally grateful for all you have done and continue to do for their Corpus Christi family.  Thank you.

Pilgrimage of Mercy in the Year of Mercy

Tom Eggleston, currently Director of Evangelical Outreach for St. Frances de Sales Parish, submitted a grant application for a Pilgrimage of Mercy project. This wonderful joint project between the two parishes was funded by the Foundation. Tom Eggleston is a graduate of Aquinas College and the University of Notre Dame, and has been working in the Catholic Community of Holland/Zeeland for 10 years.

When Tom was asked about the value of the Corpus Christi Foundation to him and his work he replied, “People of faith need a little jolt – something surprising and challenging for them. The Foundation can provide the funding for such a program or activity that is out of the ordinary.” He thinks about, “What is it that really wakes people up and allows them to see the church, grace and God in a completely new way? “

A Corpus Christi Foundation grant funded a project, Pilgrimage of Mercy, during the Pope Francis Year of Mercy. The project involved people walking from the Holland area to the Cathedral in Grand Rapids. Fourteen people walked the entire way, and the group swelled to thirty-five by the time they walked through the Cathedral doors. The walkers prayed, meditated, took shelter to avoid a tornado warning, and turned an ordinary walk into a spiritual pilgrimage of Catholics sharing faith together. Since the Pilgrimage he has heard of individuals who have shared their personal moments on the journey that have impressed and inspired them beyond just the time and distance of the experience.

Tom appreciates the several grants he has been awarded and he believes the opportunity will come up again to “Do something really brave in the name of God,” and he will ask the Corpus Christi Foundation for funding.