(October 5, 2010, St. Paul, Minn.) – Jerry and Delores Slawik will be honored with the Catholic Community Foundation’s 2010 Legacy of Faith Award, which is presented annually to an individual or family in recognition of their leadership and philanthropy in support of the spiritual, educational and social needs of the Catholic community.  They will receive the award at the Fifth Annual Legacy of Faith banquet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 317 on Rice (formerly The Minnesota Club) in St. Paul.

Jerry and Delores Slawik’s long history of philanthropy is distinguished by their decades-old, unwavering commitment to making Catholic secondary education accessible to students who could not otherwise afford it. For 52 years, the Slawik family has provided tuition assistance to more than 1,000 students attending Catholic or parochial high schools in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. 

Their commitment to this cause is even more significant because it grew out of a personal tragedy the family experienced. In 1958, when Jerry was 22 years old, newly married to Delores and serving in the military, his 12- year-old brother, Skipper, died in a boating accident. Within months of Skipper’s death, the family launched the Skipper Slawik Fund and designated 90 percent of the fund’s income be given as scholarships to young people wanting to attend private or parochial schools. The scholarships are based on financial need rather than scholastic achievement; students receive the scholarship for all four years of high school. 

Marilou Eldred, Ph.D., president of the Catholic Community Foundation, believes the family’s continued support for the same cause over so many years is exceptional and reflects an uncommon commitment to purpose. She says, “They so value Catholic education that they want to enable as many families as possible to send their children to Catholic schools.”

The Skipper Slawik Fund is currently managed by the Catholic Community Foundation and represents a significant portion of the $6 million in tuition aid granted by the Foundation over the past 14 years. Jerry describes it as a pretty simple program. He says, “We ask the question: What would happen if you got some help to go to school?  It shows that someone is interested in them getting an education.” When the fund was started in December 1958, it was one of the first programs to offer this kind of assistance and Jerry says there are no plans to change it. He modestly adds, “It seems to work.”