Donors - Donor Stories

Sponsors | Donor Stories | Help Our Mission | Wish Lists

Murry Family Scholarship Fund Announced

When Betty Murry decided to attend the St. Francis Foundation Annual Dinner in December 2005, she had no idea how special the evening would be. As each of the final speakers gave their report, a general theme began to emerge – the importance of the scholarship program at the Child Development Center. Sr. Brendan Bogdan, the Center’s Administrator, reported on the number of families who benefited from the scholarship program and how critical it was to the parents’ that their children receive a high quality education.

The next speaker, Christina Cruz, spoke on the difference the scholarship program had made in her life. Annual Dinner guests’ eyes welled up as they listened to Ms. Cruz describe the struggle she had gone through to find high quality care for her daughter. She told of her daughter’s excitement every morning because she loved going to “school” at the Child Development Center.

Jane Hodnik, the Foundation’s Executive Director, closed the evening with an announcement that Betty Murry couldn’t believe. The Child Development Center’s Scholarship Fund would be named the John and Betty Murry Scholarship Fund to honor the Murry family’s long commitment to this Felician-sponsored ministry as well as to recognize their generous financial commitment.

“I never expected this, I’ve never had anything named after me!” said Betty later that evening.

The St. Francis Foundation is very pleased to have the opportunity to recognize the Murry family and their commitment to the Felician Sisters’ ministries.

If you or your family would like to learn more about naming opportunities, please click here or contact Jane Hodnik at 414.645.9005.

Rose Family Committed to the Ministry

For Gerv Rose, Board Treasurer of the St. Francis Foundation, being part of the Foundation and the Felician ministries is all relative – literally. The Rose family has been involved with the Felician Sisters’ ministries since the early1930’s when Gerv Rose’s grandmother, Theresa Lemanski, joined the St. Joseph Woman’s Club.

Mrs. Lemanski and other club members worked in the kitchen at St. Joseph’s Home, and served meals at the annual picnic. The picnics, held on the grounds of the orphanage located at 18th Street and Euclid Avenue, drew hundreds of residents from the neighborhood. Later, Gerv’s mother, Cathryne and eventually Gerv’s wife, Beverly also became involved in activities to benefit St. Joseph’s Home and its successor, South Day Care.

The male members of the Rose family also pitched in to help support the Felician Sisters. Roman Rose, head of Roman Electric, provided the electrical work for the Sisters’ facility. He and other south side businessmen and their spouses regularly attended charity balls to raise funds for St. Joseph’s Home.

Gerv, his sister Susan, their late brother Greg, also a foundation board member, and his wife Mary have been strong advocates – even as children, they played with the orphans at St. Joseph’s Home.

The Rose family made a deeper commitment to the orphanage when they agreed to foster two of the boys living at St. Joseph’s. Tom Pucylowski was just 16 when the Sisters noticed he showed a strong interest in the electrical work performed by Roman Rose. He became an apprentice electrician and went on to serve as Vice-President of Roman Electric. In the 1950’s John Gannon, a teenager living at St. Joseph’s, joined the Rose family to become their “younger brother” while he attended high school and college.

Keeping up the family tradition of being involved with the Felician Sisters and their ministries has been very rewarding to Gerv Rose. He states, “Knowing that we provide superior care to children and seniors in our community makes me proud of our efforts to increase financial support to the Felician ministries.”