Located in north St. Louis County, Our Lady of Guadalupe School is a Catholic elementary school that was founded in 1954. Our Lady of Guadalupe serves approximately 200 students in grades preK-8 from culturally diverse backgrounds with a large Hispanic population. Its mission is to proclaim acceptance and hope for all while providing a strong education. Nearly all students move on to attend a private/parochial high school.
Partnership #1 (2017)
Our Lady of Guadalupe is committed to growing its enrollment, particularly within the local Hispanic community, while also strengthening appreciation and respect of all cultures and languages. School leadership recently attended the University of Notre Dame’s Latino Enrollment Institute which helped them develop a clear plan to drive growth. The school approached Brown Sisters Foundation for assistance in implementing the plan. The Foundation provided a grant to underwrite most of the expenses as well as issue a challenge to attract new and increase gifts to support additional scholarships.
Partnership #2 (2020)
When COVID hit, many of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s families did not have internet access or devices other than cell phones through which to complete schoolwork. The staff of Our Lady of Guadalupe worked tirelessly to raise funds for needed technology, deliver food to families struggling with food insecurity, and manage the trauma and anxiety that families and staff are experiencing as a result of COVID.
In the midst of this challenging time, Our Lady of Guadalupe sought to equip its teachers to best support students. They approached the Brown Sisters Foundation for support to hire a teacher’s assistant to support teachers as they managed remote learning; training for staff on trauma awareness and cultural sensitivity; and funding to access an online curriculum online field trips to ensure that learning continued for virtual learners. Our Lady of Guadalupe also faced other unexpected costs related to the pandemic including safety and cleaning supplies and additional technology needs. The Brown Sisters Foundation issued a challenge grant to attract new and increased donations to support these pandemic-related costs.