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"As a family, we'd like to give back to the community that has given so much to us," says Dana (Gritzmacher) McElligott '87.
We sat down with Dana to talk about what this community means to a family that now boasts three generations of Rams and about the endowed scholarship that bears her family's name.
First, some Gritzmacher family history: Donald '62 met his wife, Diane, a 1962 St. Mary's Academy graduate, while they were in high school. They married shortly thereafter and raised four children who are all Central Catholic grads, Don '83, Doug '84, Dana '87, and Danielle '97.
"Central is so important to my family, that when my parents celebrated their fiftieth anniversary three years ago, my siblings and our spouses organized a big family weekend down in Lincoln City. We needed a way for us to all get there without them knowing. So we did this huge scavenger hunt to keep them occupied in the Portland-area. Guess where the first stop was: Central Catholic! They renewed their wedding vows with their maid of honor and their best man who was also a graduate of Central Catholic. Msgr. Murphy witnessed their vows right there in the chapel. It was awesome!"
It was around the time of this family milestone that the group began to talk about creating a family scholarship at Central Catholic. They discussed the deep appreciation they all share for their Central Catholic education and the opportunities a faith-based education brought to their lives and the lives of their children.
"As a working class family, our parents made immense sacrifices to make our Catholic education a priority," Dana said.
"I think my parents did a really good job making sure we understood the value of what we were receiving and, therefore, expected us to work hard and do our bit. My brothers painted classrooms at Central Catholic, we greased lockers during the summer. Back in the day, they didn't call it work study, but basically you worked (at the school) to pay some of your tuition. I think watching our parents and ourselves get through that and value it, we always said when we get to a place in life where we can give back, this is the institution we want to give to."
In 2014, Dana took the families' intentions to the Development Office. "(Being a part of this school) has been so much more than an education. It's been truly like community that has reached us at so many other levels; faith, education, athletics, you name it. It's just been such a well-rounded experience." The family set their sights on funding an endowed scholarship in their family's name that would create a legacy in the community they love so much and make Catholic education more affordable for a current student.
"We were so proud of our kids for coming up with the idea of a family scholarship as our way of giving back to Central Catholic," says Diane Gritzmacher. "CC represents both strong Catholic values and family values. It represents diversity in the students that attend and the classes that are available. It represents the kind of world we would like to pass on to others in the community. [. . . ] CC is more than a Catholic high school. It's a family."
If you would like to learn more about setting up an Endowed Scholarship at Central Catholic, please contact Vice President of Advancement, Ellie Dir, at 503-230-1056 x1258 or [email protected].