Boosts area day school scholarship fund
Tuition assistance for children attending Milwaukee’s five Jewish day schools received a major boost from the Helen Bader Foundation, Inc., late last month.
Among the 90 new grants totaling $6.2 million awarded to programs here and in Israel is a three-year, $1.2 million grant to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation for the Helen Bader Scholarship Fund.
It is the largest of the grants approved by the foundation board and marks a 20 percent increase in the foundation’s support of the fund, which has awarded more than $3.7 million in scholarships since 1991.
“Many families believe Jewish day schools reinforce their values, but they may be daunted by the cost of tuition,” said Tobey Libber, the foundation’s Jewish Life and Learning program officer. “The fund is intended to keep the day schools within reach of the greatest number of families.”
“According to our 1996 community study,” said Richard H. Meyer, federation executive vice president, “Milwaukee ranks high among Jewish communities nationally for the number of children who attend a Jewish day school. This commitment from the Helen Bader Foundation helps ensure that even more families will be able to enjoy the benefits of a Jewish day school education.”
Currently, 257 children receive tuition support from the scholarship fund, which awards partial scholarships based on a variety of factors.
An eight-member committee chaired by Abigail J. Nash reviews scholarship requests. She said, “The fund has helped hundreds of families receive the benefits of a Jewish day school education, but the need is growing. The additional dollars through the Helen Bader Scholarship Fund will help many more students attend their school of choice.”
The five day schools are Hillel Academy, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, Torah Academy of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study and Yeshiva Elementary School.
In addition, other grants awarded through the Jewish Life and Learning program area, for a total of $1.5 million, include $250,000 to the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center for improvements at its day camp in Fredonia and resident camp in Eagle River, and $50,000 to the federation for its annual campaign in support of Milwaukee-area Jewish religious, cultural and social agencies.
Among the other grant recipients are the Jewish Home and Care Center, which received a three-year, $114,000 grant to provide a music therapist for older adults with dementia at the Helen Bader Center; and the Hillel Foundation University of Wisconsin, Inc., in Madison, which was awarded a three-year, $100,000 grant to add staff and programming to improve its outreach to the university Jewish community.
Since it was established in 1992, the foundation has awarded more than 2,600 grants totaling $107 million. The foundation’s main program areas include Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia; Early Childhood Development in Israel; Economic Development; Jewish Life and Learning; and Sankofa-Youth Development.
Fifteen grants totaling $788,000 were awarded through the Early Childhood Development in Israel area. Programs in this area help Jewish and Arab children with mental, physical and developmental disabilities; needy immigrant children and their parents; and Arab Israeli students in paramedical fields. They also provide well-baby care, early intervention and enrichment services.
Loading ...