Cristo Rey Dallas, a private, Catholic high school that opened in August 2015 in Pleasant Grove, enables students to receive a high-quality and affordable college preparatory education. Cristo Rey students are beating national testing averages and mastering job skills through the Corporate Work Study Program, which enables students to work in a professional setting five days per month and earn 63% of their own tuition. Parents pay less than 10% with the balance being funded by the community, making this high-quality, college-preparatory education accessible to all. In the 2016-2017 school year, 71 job partners employed Cristo Rey Dallas students throughout DFW.
The Mike & Mary Terry Family Foundation was one of the initial funders to bring the Cristo Rey program to Southeast Dallas from Chicago. Mike Terry has held leadership positions on both the planning committees and the Board of Directors.
“Homeless. Not Voiceless” is the motto of the Dallas Street Choir, a musical outlet for those experiencing homelessness. Jonathan Palant, Director of the Dallas Street Choir, established a choir that meets weekly at The Stewpot because participating in a consistent, structured, safe and creatively engaging environment better equips individuals experiencing homelessness to find a job, housing, and improve their overall lifestyle. In June 2017, the Dallas Street Choir was the first-ever homeless choir to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City and The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
The Foundation provided the funding to cover the rental cost of Carnegie Hall. As word spread about the performance, famous opera star Frederica Van Stade and renowned musical composer Stephen Schwartz partnered with the Dallas Street Choir to create an unforgettable performance and a life-changing experience for more than 20 homeless individuals. See reports from both local and national news outlets by clicking on the news icon below.
Education Opens Doors equips middle and high school students with the knowledge and soft skills needed to navigate the college-going process through the Roadmap to Success curriculum. Since its inception in 2012, Roadmap to Success has impacted more than 15,000 Dallas students and demonstrates an average of 47% growth in college knowledge.
In 2015, the Foundation became the inaugural funder to introduce the Roadmap to Success program to local Catholic schools. What began with a program in two Catholic schools, serving approximately 100 students, has now grown to eight diocesan schools, training approximately 500 students. As a result, students and parents are better prepared to apply for and understand how to pay for college as well as apply to Catholic high schools, if they choose. In the past three years, applications to Catholic high schools have increased from these diocesan schools as a result of Education Opens Doors.
“Our partnership with The Mike & Mary Terry Family Foundation has been the catalyst for our program’s impact in the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Their gift enabled us to partner with new campuses, students, and families who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to receive important information about college access.”
The Mike & Mary Terry Family Foundation is a leading supporter of the $125 million “Our Faith…Our Future” capital campaign of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. The campaign benefits the core areas of the diocese, including Catholic schools, Holy Trinity Seminary, Catholic Charities of Dallas, the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and many parish ministries.
As one of the campaign’s leadership gifts, the Foundation’s grant is specifically directed towards Catholic schools. That portion of the campaign will secure resources for next-generation educational models and technology, programs to make Catholic education remain truly inclusive, and updates to aging infrastructure.
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas educate more than 15,000 students annually. The schools listed above have received tuition assistance as a result of the Foundation’s funding.
“For the first time in Dallas’ history, rape kits are available in South Dallas”
The Methodist Dallas SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program provides 24/7 rapid response, compassionate care, and forensic examinations for victims of sexual assault by clinically trained nurses. All SANE exams are performed at no cost to the victim. In 2014, the Foundation helped Safer Dallas Better Dallas bring the SANE initiative to Methodist for the first time. The program has continued to see steady growth since that point.
As of October 2017, Methodist Dallas welcomed The Turning Point Rape Crisis Center onto their campus to provide victims and the friends and families of victims on-site counseling support and advocacy services following the traumatic experience of sexual assault. The Foundation was one of three inaugural donors to provide the seed money for this on-sight service, marking the first time counseling services are accessible to current and past victims of sexual assault in South Dallas.