The Catholic education landscape throughout Northwest Indiana forever changed on Wednesday, June 12 as the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation announced it will donate a record-breaking $150 million over the next decade to Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana. As the largest donation in PreK-12 Catholic education history, this will help support over 6,000 students at over 20 schools across the Region beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.
“This is such a monumental, historical investment in education,” Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana Executive Director Dan Kozlowski said. “I’m still shocked, and it still doesn't feel real, but it really is. We couldn't be prouder, happier, or more thankful for the generosity of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation.”
Diocese of Gary Bishop Robert J. McClory echoes Kozlowski’s sentiments and is beyond grateful for the outpouring of support for Catholic education in Northwest Indiana. However, he wasn’t the only one who joined Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana on Wednesday for the announcement. Cedar Lake’s Lighthouse Restaurant was packed as this exciting news was made known to the public, where the duo was joined by many, including Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives Todd Huston, Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation Trustee Beth White, Executive Director of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation Bill Hanna, CEO of Big Shoulders Fund Josh Hale, Diocese of Gary Superintendent of Schools Dr. Colleen Brewer, and other community members. They all gathered together to share their support for this historic moment and how exciting this is for Catholic education.
“This is an extraordinary day through the generosity of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation,” McClory said. “They have made a commitment to transform our young people through our Catholic schools and their investment in Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana helps to support us in that initiative. It's certainly a historic day full of promise and hope, but it doesn't come out of the blue. We have a track record of quality Catholic schools and collaborative relationships, so we look to the future. We want to make sure that we're not only accomplishing what we have thus far, but we can do even more with these resources.”
This generous donation will forever change the lives of Catholic school students, educators, and their families in the Region and beyond. Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana proudly focuses on providing resources Catholic school students and schools thrive, and while time will tell exactly how the donation will be used, it is already known that it will have a tremendous impact on everyone involved.
“We are going to reveal more as time goes on, but our focus is on the educational and social-emotional needs of our students in Northwest Indiana,” Kozlowski said. “We are an outcomes-based organization solely focused on those contracts and what it takes to get to those outcomes. We want the highest-performing network of Catholic schools in the country. To get there requires a lot of work and a lot of time, but it will be a very successful endeavor. We just couldn't be prouder at this moment.”
While this donation is a first of its kind, the White family and Big Shoulders Fund have roots strongly intertwined from many years of partnership, fellowship, and undeniable support. The late Dean White, founder of White Lodging in Merrillville, made a great economic impact in Northwest Indiana after taking over his father’s business. Since then, he and his wife Barbara White were adamant about supporting local organizations. That generosity was also present to their children, Beth and Bruce White, who first came across Big Shoulders Fund after moving to Chicago in 2006.
The White family continued to provide a plethora of support to Big Shoulders Fund, which includes launching a scholarship program in 2011 beginning in Staddle Camp, Wyoming, as well as a $16-million gift in 2019 to extend its resources to Northwest Indiana and provide support for schools within the Diocese of Gary. Wednesday’s donation is simply an extension of that long-lasting friendship, guaranteed to enhance the lives of many within Northwest Indiana’s Catholic school system.
“The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation and Big Shoulders Fund have worked together before to help bring the initial and broad reputation of Big Shoulders Fund to Northwest Indiana. Beth and her late husband, Bruce, were also involved with Big Shoulders Fund for many years before that, so this has been a partnership and a relationship that's been cultivated over many years,” Kozlowski said. “With that track record of success has led to this moment, as well as the support we’ve certainly had from our great partners in the Catholic Diocese of Gary, we have the dream team. That's great to have as we move forward.”
To round off the good news, it was also made known that the Diocese of Gary is creating an independent endowment within the 501(c)(3) Catholic Foundation for Northwest Indiana by the end of this year. This endowment will allow for invested funds to reach $50 million in the next 15 years, bringing the total donated to Catholic education a total of $200 million by the 2039-2040 school year, an incredible milestone that has left many in admirable awe.
“We love that families are choosing our Catholic schools,” McClory said. “As we support their families and support the young people, we want them to have the minds and hearts to be compassionate, caring leaders in the world. Our schools bring a vision of academic excellence coupled with human and spiritual formation and growth. To us, one of the expressions is that young people can be all they're meant to be; they can achieve their aspirations and do it with heart and service. We think our Catholic schools help to transform lives and hearts, and we look forward to that impact.”
For more information about how the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation advocates for Catholic education across Northwest Indiana, visit its website at dbwfamilyfoundation.org. For more information on Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana and how it’s positively impacting Catholic schools, students, educators, and communities, visit bigshouldersfund.org.
