- $1.9M/$6M
Christian Service is defined as acts that stem from a Christ-centered belief in serving the Lord and doing His will. Service is the selfless giving of oneself to benefit others with no expectation of recognition, reward, or acknowledgement.
The mission of the Christian Service Awards Program is to acknowledge students who demonstrate exemplary Christ-centered behavior through volunteer service to parish, school and community. Recipients display a love and understanding of their Catholic faith and articulate a commitment, not only to perform acts of service, but to live a service-focused life. They recognize their God-given gifts and provide persuasive evident of their maturity, humility and leadership.
The Christian Service Awards are $8,000 scholarships given to students who:
- Are practicing Catholics registered within the Diocese of Phoenix;
- Exemplify Christ-centered behavior through volunteer service to parish, school, and community;
- Plan to attend a Catholic high school within the Diocese of Phoenix;
- Are in 8th grade at the time of application; and
- Have volunteered 100+ hours to parish, school and community between August 15 of 6th grade year and September 15 of 8th grade year.
During these unique times, our community continues to deal with change because of the COVID-19 outbreak. We are constantly reminded that one of the most important ways to protect ourselves is to social distance by staying 6ft apart from each other or remain outdoors. Because of this, we have to take a serious look at all of our programs, including the Christian Service Awards.
As you know, the main component in the CSA recipient selection process is the in-person interviews, which will be nearly impossible to conduct safely and adequately for all involved. It is our policy to conduct all interviews in-person because it provides the committee with the ability to expand their understanding of the applicants’ service involvement. Secondly, during this difficult economic time brought on by the pandemic, the majority of the sponsored donors are reluctant to financially support this program as they see other organizations with greater need. In light of all of this, the Foundation has decided to pause for the 2021 CSA award offering and regroup in the 2021-2022 school year.
We are all disappointed to have to make this decision. However, taking this one year off gives the committee a chance to grow and fund this program, which ensures predictable scholarships going forward. I want to emphasize that the Christian Service Awards program is not being eliminated, and we look forward to giving out awards in 2022.
Are you interested in sponsoring a Christian Service Award?
Please contact the Foundation office to discover how it is possible for you to bring to life the dream of a Catholic high school education for these commendable students.
