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Seeds of Hope luncheon draws 350
By John Gleason
Gratitude, humility and the desire to give to others in the future what has so generously been given to him is what scholarship recipient Raymond Young, 15, expressed in receiving the 2011 Journey of Hope Scholarship Award.
Young received the award April 7 at the annual Hope Springs Eternal Luncheon, a benefit for Seeds of Hope Charitable Trust, which helps needy students to receive a Catholic education.
“First, I want to thank God I exist,” Young said, “and to all those who donate to Seeds of Hope. I also want to thank the selection committee and let them know that part of the plan for my future is to give back.”
The event drew 350 people to the Inverness Hotel at the Denver Tech Center. The luncheon included silent and live auction, entertainment provided by the Assumption School Choir, and remarks by Seeds of Hope tuition assistance recipient Matthew White, an eighth grader at Guardian Angels School; Father Bert Chilson, pastor of St. Therese Church and school; and Betsy Boudreau, executive director of Seeds of Hope.
Masters of ceremony were CBS4 anchorman Jim Benemann and former Denver Nugget Bill Hanzlik. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput O.F.M., Cap., delivered the invocation.
During the lunch, Robert Lemming, Seeds of Hope chair, congratulated all the people who give of themselves to help Seeds of Hope. And he exhorted those still discerning whether to do so.
“Get involved,” he said. ‘You’ll love every minute of it.”
Betsy Boudreau, executive director of Seeds of Hope, told the Denver Catholic Register she was gratified by this year’s attendance.
“It’s a great turnout in support of Catholic schools,” she said.
For the past 15 years, with the help of the trust, which has provided tuition assistance grants, operating support and grants for programs and technology, thousands of students have been allowed the benefits of a Catholic education. The organization supports the Catholic elementary schools serving a low-income, high minority population concentrated in the inner-city.
The Journey of Hope Scholarship Award presented to Young provides $1,000 of assistance toward each year of high school tuition. Young, an eighth grader at St. Louis School in Englewood, plans to attend J.K. Mullen High School. Young told the Register he owes his deepest thanks to his parents for their support.
“It’s because of them that I do well in school,” he said. “And it’s by going to a Catholic school that I’m on my way to Mullen.”
Young’s dream is to attend Notre Dame University.
Young’s father, who is also named Ray, said he is proud of his son.
“He’s a good student and knows how to set goals,” he said.
Concluding remarks were given by Father Chilson.
“I encounter students on the playground; their laughs, greetings and smiles are shared unconditionally. It makes my heart soar,” he said. “Without Seeds of Hope we wouldn’t be able to give these gifts. You help sustain our schools and because of you our kids are thriving. Catholic education flat works—everywhere.”
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