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2016 School Visit
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Make The Most Of Your Giving.
Friends of JPSS is so thankful for your generosity! We realize there are many worthy causes you can and do support, and we are grateful for every penny we receive to further the education of our students. Below are a few tips to help you maximize your giving. Corporate Matching Gift Programs – Companies big, small, and everything in between, match gifts. doublethedonation.com provides a list of the top companies with matching programs. Even if not on this list, check with your employer regarding their specific matching program. Requesting a match is typically accomplished through a quick and easy form, and it could double the support! Traditional IRAs – Direct…
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John Paul Secondary School Needs Your Help – by Tim Blackwell
In 2007, Paul and Nancy Berrigan of Farmington Hills, Michigan began building a school in Chelekura, Uganda. It was their dream then, as it is today, to help provide educational opportunities for children living in that disconnected part of the world. When John Paul Secondary School first opened its doors nine years ago, 14 students were registered for classes. Today, enrollment for both boys and girls is over 200. Since project inception, the Berrigans have dedicated themselves to making sure the school provides the best education available for teenage students who are interested in pursuing a career in science. The newly built science center is a perfect example of their…
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Building Housing for the Teachers – Brick by Brick!
John Paul Secondary School in Chelekura Uganda is in desperate need of teacher housing! Due to the lack of on campus housing, teachers must travel long distances to-and-from school daily. During the long rainy season roads frequently become impassable and the teachers cannot get to the school. If there are no teachers, the students suffer and fall behind in their studies. Also, teacher housing will help us to attract the best teachers from a much wider area, further improving our students’ education. Please check out our CrowdRise fundraiser via the link below and be sure to watch the video for a closer look at Chelekura, Uganda – God bless! Brick…
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Let There Be Light!
We are so very excited to announce that solar panels have been installed and there is now power to the Daryl D Wittich Science and Learning Center! Thanks to Tim Blackwell and his great team at One World Sustainable, the students will now be able to use the classrooms during the darker hours and there is power for the soon-to-be-purchased computers in the Computer Center. The solar system is able to power the entire Science Center and has a battery backup system that allows power to be stored for those rainy days. Thank you to all our donors who helped make this a reality! …
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2015 Wine Tasting Fundraiser
We hosted our first Wine Tasting Dinner Fundraiser on September 12, 2015. The event took place in Plymouth, MI at the Courthouse Grille Restaurant. The wines were donated by Thurston Wolfe Wines. Everyone who attended enjoyed a great meal, tasted delicious wines, and had a very enjoyable and fun evening. Our event sold out and we had 80 attend the Wine Tasting Dinner. A portion of the ticket cost was a donation to our charity – “Friends Of John Paul School”. We also sold wine after the dinner and portion of those proceeds were donated to our charity. In addition, we also sold…
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2015 School Visit
This year’s trip to the John Paul Secondary School was attended by Paul & Nancy Berrigan, Eoin, Liz, Sam and Nate Comerford. This was a special trip for all of us because the Comerford family has been an integral part of the fundraising projects that take place throughout the year, and this was the first time we were taking American high school students to meet their counterparts in Uganda. Sam and his dad, Eoin, ran a 10K in the April to raise money to purchase solar powered Luci Lights to take to the school. The school and surrounding areas do not currently have electricity lines and therefore no source of consistent lighting at night. The…
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2015 School Visit
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JPSS in the news 2012
Local Brothers chip in to help JPSS: When Nate and Sam Comerford saw that kids in Africa attended “school” under a tree − the only shade to be found in the hot, barren landscape − they were inspired to do something to help. The Farmington Hills brothers, ages 10 and 11, heard about Paul and Nancy Berrigan of Farmington Hills, fellow parishioners at St. Fabian Catholic Church in Farmington Hills, who built a school in a remote area of Uganda called Chelekura. The John Paul School is slowly becoming a real campus since being built in 2007. The school for ninth grade through junior college has a main building, a…
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Little Dresses Expands to Kansas City
For several months now, many volunteers have been meeting at the Hillcrest Thrift Shop to sew dresses for the girls of John Paul School under the banner of “Little Dresses for Africa”. As of this date, they have made a grand total of 122 dresses as well as several “Little Britches for Boys”! This has been made possible by a small group of very dedicated people Mary Desko Murphy, Michele and Jack Murphy, Lou Warner and Cindy Hoffecker. Hillcrest Thrift Shop manager, Lou Warner, has been most generous in allowing volunteers to use his facility and sewing machines to make the dresses and even more generous in donating fabric. Starting…
