QUOTE
Saving St. Joseph
Teen begins crusade to help Catholic school set to close
By Matt Fritz
Staff writer
1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13887
mfritz@heraldargus.com
Published: Friday, April 6, 2012 5:05 PM CDT
La PORTE — He had dreams of walking on the moon, becoming a pro athlete and growing into a leader among his peers.
Dreams inspired in him by his schooling at St. Joseph Catholic Community School.
Now La Porte teen Daniel Miller is trying to raise $2 million to save it from being closed down.
He said he believes in miracles.
"It gave me the opportunity at a young age to see I could achieve whatever I wanted," he said. "I'm thankful I got to develop my leadership skills at such an early age."
St. Joseph Catholic Community School is scheduled to end its run in La Porte after 152 years of operation on May 30, a result of consistent declines in student enrollment over the past 10 years.
In an attempt to stop the closure of the last catholic school in the city of La Porte, Miller said he's launching a campaign to collect money
His organization, St. Joseph Crusaders, has already been accredited by the state as a charity, and has filed for a 501C3 status so donations can become tax deductible.
"I've seen the side of faith that people don't know about," he said. "Why not have the opportunity there for kids to have a catholic education I had growing up? I had a lot of doors opened to me when I went to St. Joe School."
Miller attended St. Joseph through the sixth grade. He said he was recognized for his leadership skills during this time and sent to a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., to develop those talents.
It also introduced him to the world of student athletics and taught him responsibility in joggling his classwork and extra-curricular interests.
"You've got to balance your personal life with your school life with your athletic career," he said. "You can't have it all ways. You have to have the test scores to play. I went into tutoring at school and it kept me at the top of my class. It taught me how to balance my life and be a role model."
A 16-year-old sophomore at Marquette High School in Michigan City, Miller now plays baseball and basketball, and he's also an Eagle scout, having led the revamping of the picnic area at the municipal airport last year as one of his scouting projects.
He has since been nominated for the national youth seminar on medicine and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. His father is an eye doctor in La Porte.
Miller said he needs to make the money by the end of the school year. If enough funds aren't given, he said all the money will be properly logged and recorded and given back to the donors.
Although he hasn't gotten the blessing of the church for this endeavor, Miller said he thinks the powers that be would have to relent if they saw the money.
"If we come in with $2 million I don't know how you can say no," he said. "If and when we reach our goal I have future plans of giving this over to the Unity Foundation so it can continue to prosper and grow."
The Rev. David Kime of St. Joseph Catholic Church said he would not make any comments about the fundraiser at this time.
But Miller isn't alone in this endeavor. He's getting help from his friend Kristine Trojan of La Porte, who's assisting in the organization of the campaign.
He's also trying to reach out to everyone else he can.
Miller said he's had a niece and nephew already leave the school earlier this year in anticipation of its closure, and he wants to see this stop.
"I think St. Joseph really helped me develop and become who I am today and I have no one else to thank but St. Joe," he said. "I want them to know they can turn to someone for help. Someone to run them in the right direction."
Miller said he welcomes any questions from those interested. For more information, call (219) 324-8826 or 716-4005, or go to stjoecrusaders.com.
Donations can be mailed to St. Joe Crusaders, 1105 S. Fieldstone Dr, La Porte, IN 46350.
An account for St. Joseph Crusaders has also been set up at La Porte Savings Bank.
Emails can also be sent to info@st-joe-crusaders.com.
Teen begins crusade to help Catholic school set to close
By Matt Fritz
Staff writer
1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13887
mfritz@heraldargus.com
Published: Friday, April 6, 2012 5:05 PM CDT
La PORTE — He had dreams of walking on the moon, becoming a pro athlete and growing into a leader among his peers.
Dreams inspired in him by his schooling at St. Joseph Catholic Community School.
Now La Porte teen Daniel Miller is trying to raise $2 million to save it from being closed down.
He said he believes in miracles.
"It gave me the opportunity at a young age to see I could achieve whatever I wanted," he said. "I'm thankful I got to develop my leadership skills at such an early age."
St. Joseph Catholic Community School is scheduled to end its run in La Porte after 152 years of operation on May 30, a result of consistent declines in student enrollment over the past 10 years.
In an attempt to stop the closure of the last catholic school in the city of La Porte, Miller said he's launching a campaign to collect money
His organization, St. Joseph Crusaders, has already been accredited by the state as a charity, and has filed for a 501C3 status so donations can become tax deductible.
"I've seen the side of faith that people don't know about," he said. "Why not have the opportunity there for kids to have a catholic education I had growing up? I had a lot of doors opened to me when I went to St. Joe School."
Miller attended St. Joseph through the sixth grade. He said he was recognized for his leadership skills during this time and sent to a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., to develop those talents.
It also introduced him to the world of student athletics and taught him responsibility in joggling his classwork and extra-curricular interests.
"You've got to balance your personal life with your school life with your athletic career," he said. "You can't have it all ways. You have to have the test scores to play. I went into tutoring at school and it kept me at the top of my class. It taught me how to balance my life and be a role model."
A 16-year-old sophomore at Marquette High School in Michigan City, Miller now plays baseball and basketball, and he's also an Eagle scout, having led the revamping of the picnic area at the municipal airport last year as one of his scouting projects.
He has since been nominated for the national youth seminar on medicine and wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. His father is an eye doctor in La Porte.
Miller said he needs to make the money by the end of the school year. If enough funds aren't given, he said all the money will be properly logged and recorded and given back to the donors.
Although he hasn't gotten the blessing of the church for this endeavor, Miller said he thinks the powers that be would have to relent if they saw the money.
"If we come in with $2 million I don't know how you can say no," he said. "If and when we reach our goal I have future plans of giving this over to the Unity Foundation so it can continue to prosper and grow."
The Rev. David Kime of St. Joseph Catholic Church said he would not make any comments about the fundraiser at this time.
But Miller isn't alone in this endeavor. He's getting help from his friend Kristine Trojan of La Porte, who's assisting in the organization of the campaign.
He's also trying to reach out to everyone else he can.
Miller said he's had a niece and nephew already leave the school earlier this year in anticipation of its closure, and he wants to see this stop.
"I think St. Joseph really helped me develop and become who I am today and I have no one else to thank but St. Joe," he said. "I want them to know they can turn to someone for help. Someone to run them in the right direction."
Miller said he welcomes any questions from those interested. For more information, call (219) 324-8826 or 716-4005, or go to stjoecrusaders.com.
Donations can be mailed to St. Joe Crusaders, 1105 S. Fieldstone Dr, La Porte, IN 46350.
An account for St. Joseph Crusaders has also been set up at La Porte Savings Bank.
Emails can also be sent to info@st-joe-crusaders.com.