Last August, Pope Leo began his Papal Audience address by inviting those gathered to meditate on the word “prepare.”
The word “seems simple, but holds a precious secret of Christian life,” he said.
In that spirit, the St. Joseph Center for Special Learning just took a big step to prepare to serve future generations of students by creating four donor-designated funds with the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania.
The Schuylkill Haven school, part of the Diocese of Allentown’s Catholic school system, provides academic, social, religious, and pre-vocational instruction for students ages 5–21 with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
St. Joseph Center for Special Learning: A Philanthropic Vision
“This represents an exciting evolution in the school’s long-term development strategy and philanthropic vision,” said Monica Walborn, the school’s director of development.
“Together, the funds create a more intentional and sustainable framework for giving, allowing donors to support specific areas of impact that directly strengthen the school’s ability to serve our student and adult population.”
Previously, Walborn said, the center had just a single fund with the Catholic Foundation: the St. Joseph Center for Special Learning Scholarship Fund.
“The scholarship was initially established through the generosity of the families of two individuals whose lives and service left a lasting impact on St. Joseph Center,” she said.
“Those gifts laid the foundation for the scholarship fund and reflect the deep community support surrounding the school’s mission.”
Keeping St. Joseph Center Affordable to All Families
Making sure St. Joseph Center is affordable so all families may have access to a Catholic education is important to Bob Giba, principal at St. Joseph Center.
“I would say almost all of our parents have an increasingly high demand on their wallets and on their income to take care of these wonderful individuals,” Giba shared on a posted video interview. “So, to have the cost be out of reach would be counterproductive to what we do.”
The center, which outgrew its previous location in Pottsville, moved to the St. Ambrose Parish campus in Schuylkill Haven in 2023. The 2026 sale of its former home “created an opportunity to establish a permanent general endowment fund that will provide long-term operational sustainability for generations to come,” Walborn said.
Then, she said, two generous donors who believe deeply in the mission of St. Joseph Center and mission of the Diocesan learning centers, “stepped forward with a desire to make a transformational investment in the school.”
“It was through their generosity that we were able to create three mission-centered funds focused on staff excellence, wellness services, and student enrichment.”
About the New Funds for St. Joseph Center
The center’s funds now include:
- The St. Joseph Center For Special Learning Fund, to support academics, staffing, scholarships, maintenance, special programs, and future capital improvements.
- The St. Joseph Center For Special Learning Staff Excellence Fund, designed to recruit, retain, train, support, and recognize exceptional educators and staff members.
- The St. Joseph Center For Special Learning Wellness & Support Services Fund, to support the behavioral, therapeutic, and social-emotional needs of students.
- The St. Joseph Center For Special Learning Forever Young Fund, to enrich the student experience beyond the classroom by supporting creative, cultural, spiritual, and community-based opportunities that may otherwise be inaccessible to students with disabilities.
“Each fund addresses a critical pillar for St. Joseph Center for Special Learning: sustainability, staff excellence, wellness supports, and student enrichment,” Walborn said.
As the school continues to grow, the funds are intended to create ongoing funding streams to provide organizational stability and have a direct impact on the success of students and adults.
“The needs of students and adults with disabilities continue to evolve and requires expanded therapeutic services, highly trained staff, adaptive programming, and innovative educational supports,” Walborn said.
“The formation of these funds reflects both the growth of St. Joseph Center for Special Learning and the increasing complexity of serving students and adults with specialized needs.”
Each fund must be used for the specific purpose outlined when it was established to support the center’s mission. School leadership determines how funds are allocated based on identified priorities and student needs. However, the funds are also designed to provide flexibility within their focus areas so the school can adapt to evolving needs over time.
“These funds represent stability, sustainability, and possibility,” Walborn said. “They provide St. Joseph Center for Special Learning with the ability to think beyond immediate operational needs and invest strategically in the future.”
“They also help ensure the school can continue adapting to the evolving needs of students and adults with disabilities while remaining rooted in its mission and Catholic identity.
Creating More Special Learning Oppotunities
Most importantly, these funds create opportunities for students that may not otherwise exist,” she said.
Dariel, a grade-school student who was born with a rare condition called Chromosome 21q deletion, is a good example. Unable to walk or even communicate when he arrived at the school at 4 years old, Dariel now enjoys music and art, and he can walk, run, jump, and even express himself through the use of a special app on an iPad.
“Everyone was giving up on my son,” said his mother. “St. Joseph’s never gave up on him.” They said, “ ‘We’re going to go with you wherever you go.’ ”
Getting the seed money to set up these long-term funds is only the start that allows St. Joseph Center to help more students like Dariel, Walborn said. Now that the funds are started, other donors may make a gift to them to help the funds grow.
“Every gift, regardless of size, has the power to create meaningful impact in the lives of students and adults with disabilities and the educators who serve them,” she said. “These funds are designed not only to meet immediate needs, but to ensure that St. Joseph Center for Special Learning remains strong for generations of students to come.”